Before The Dawn
by Kayori Aechaa
Summary: Unfortunate circumstances have brought the two together, so how is it Vaughn will be able to fulfill his duties as a hunter of the Five and keep this girl safe?
1. Vaughn

Autumn stood at the edge of the shore line with her friends, not exactly liking the idea of letting herself be convinced that spending a weekend on a desolate island would be a good idea. The thought of being out so far away from civilization sent a chill down her spine, and also added to the anxiety of not having her cell phone in case of an emergency. If they got hurt, they were screwed. She watched as her friends pulled all of their luggage from the boats they'd used to cross the water and followed them down an unmarked path until they reached what looked like a fairly decent sized cabin.

"_This_ is what we're staying in?" Jessica asked with disgust as she turned to Owen, who had been leading the group through their trek in the woods, "When you told us about this place off the coast of Nova Scotia, you promised it would be amazing. _This_, sorry to disappoint, is not impressive."

Owen rolled his eyes, "I told you it was camping. No five-star hotels when you're outdoors roughing-it."

Autumn swallowed hard, "Maybe it won't be so bad? I mean it's a deserted island, what could possibly happen on a deserted island?" She didn't sound confident but she spoke those words to herself more then to the people she was standing with, knowing they wouldn't hear her.

Talia looked from Jessica to Owen and smiled small, "Well, we're here so lets make the best of it!"

"Agreed," Troy smirked and wrapped his arm around Talia's shoulders immediately attacking her neck with lustful kisses and nips. She giggled but made no attempt to push him off.

Sighing, Autumn followed the group towards the cabin but stopped a few feet behind them and looked around. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. It was quiet, and it made her uneasy. Shouldn't there at least be animals of some sorts to make noise? Birds? Anything?

Shaking her head she turned back around and walked into the dark structure. It was fairly spacious inside but had no rooms, no beds, nothing that would make it a cabin for sleeping in. If anything, it looked like a place that you would keep anything but people in. She looked to her left and noticed that Troy was putting his and Talia's tent up, and to the right Owen was putting Jessica's tent up for her while she complained about it being damp and cold in the cabin. He would reply with a simple, _it's better then sleeping outside_, and then continue his work.

"Here," Troy walked over to Autumn and pulled her bag off her back gently, "I'll set your tent up."

"Thanks," She smiled small at him and then continued to look around. There was something unsettling about this place and it made it hard for her to even think about relaxing.

Later that night after setting up a bond fire outside of the cabin the five sat outside and proceeded to tell scary stories, taking full advantage of their dark and quiet surroundings. Autumn tried to concentrate on anything but Owens voice as he spoke of some poor, unfortunate soul that was lost in the woods due to an attack from a serial killer. After he was finished, Troy upped the fright-level and talked about ghost stories consisting of hikers and campers getting attacked by the unknown. All of this talk made the girls scream and giggle, but Autumn didn't feel like joining in. When the day had turned to night, Autumn had immediately felt this sense of impending doom heading towards them, and it made her even more uneasy then when they had first arrived. She shook her head, trying to convince herself that this was a sign that she was watching way too many horror movies in her spare time.

After a few hours of exchanging stories and jokes, the group had decided to retire to the cabin. Owen stood up and looked at Autumn, noticing how she never moved at the idea of going to bed.

"You okay?" He walked closer and took a seat beside her, watching as she tightly clutched her thermal mug.

Autumn looked at him and shook her head, "I don't know. I just feel like... something is going to go horribly wrong."

"It's just the sense of being alone," Owen chuckled and rubbed her arm in a comforting way, "My little sister always felt like that when she first started camping with the family, but it was just her fear of not having control of what might never even happen."

Autumn listened to him speak and nodded to satisfy his need to make her feel better, "Thanks Owen."

"But you're not going to come inside?" His eyebrow rose.

"Not yet," Autumn shook her head, "I think I'm going to sit by the fire for a little while longer."

Deciding it was best to give up, Owen nodded and stood up again and walked into the cabin. She noticed he'd left the door open for Autumn when she decided to join everyone.

Turning her attention back onto the fire in front of her she slowly sipped her hot chocolate and sat there deep in thought. She tried to think of anything but scary possibilities. She couldn't let irrational fears keep her awake tonight, seeing as how the group was set to go on a hike around the entire island in the morning. After a few minutes Autumn suddenly looked around hearing something rustling in the trees, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She slowly stood up and looked around trying to see if she could see whatever it was that made the branches move.

Before she could react a hand swiftly clasped over her mouth and an arm wrapped itself securely around her waist. Autumn struggled hard against her captor immediately knowing it was a man that has her and started screaming against his hand as she was hauled into the darkness of the woods. She beat her fists against the arm that held her and began getting teary eyed. She suddenly realized that this might very well be the end of her life and accepted fate, but made sure she would definitely go down with a fight. It felt like forever until she saw the tiniest bit of light up a head, figuring it was more then likely a fire. When the two had arrived at what looked like a small camp sight, the attacker leaned in.

"If I let you go, you'll have to promise not to scream and draw attention," His voice was laced with a thick Scottish accent, "Just trust me, alright?"

Autumn couldn't do anything but nod, feeling the grip this man had on her loosen. She felt him hesitate but removed his hand from her mouth.

"What the hell did you kidnap me for?" Autumn asked harshly quickly turning around to face the exceptionally taller man that had taken her from her friends.

He ignored her question and walked towards a large log in front of the fire taking a seat, "Come sit down. I'll explain everything."

Looking back at the direction they had come from and over to this mysterious man, Autumn thought out her chances of getting away in a dark woods full of promised disorientation and possible injury. Feeling her sense of self-preservation kick in Autumn decided it would more then likely be safer with this man, considering he did release her when he'd brought her to this secret spot in the woods. Taking a deep breath she walked over and at a couple feet away from him, glancing over to see he had a knife in his hand and was carving what looked like a steak.

"My name is Galen Vaughn," He didn't look in her direction when she'd decided to sit down, "And who might you be?"

Autumn frowned a little, "Autumn Darcy..."

Vaughn set the things in his hands down and turned to look at her, "Pretty name for a pretty young lady," He shifted and then stood up, "Are you hungry?"

Autumn watched him in disbelief. Vaughn had just kidnapped her, complimented her and was now trying to make small talk. She shook her head at his question and watched him carefully.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, but you would have brought too much attention to us if I hadn't of covered your mouth," Vaughn stated, "You and your friends shouldn't be here."

She sighed, "I know," She rubbed her forehead a little, "I knew this was a bad idea..."

Vaughn watched the girl with curiosity. She was speaking more to herself then him, and seemed to be fighting with herself concerning the outcome of her trip to the island. Grabbing two cups her quickly filled them with water and walked back over to Autumn.

"Vaughn," Autumn looked at him, "Why did you take me away from my friends?"

"Do you want the blunt truth or the sweet and fluffy version?" He walked over and took his spot on the log again, holding out a cup to her.

Autumn took the cup timidly and looked right at him, "I guess the blunt version."

"Now I don't know if you believe in such things but, this island is the burial ground to a very powerful, immortal man named Silas," He watched her face for a reaction and when she said nothing he continued, "There are natives on this island that were born and raised here with a simple task of disposing of whoever stepped foot on the island, in fear that all those who found this place were here to free Silas."

Autumn nodded slowly not exactly hearing everything he was saying. The word _immortal_ repeated over and over in her head, reminding her of the scary camp fire stories. The thought made a chill run down her spine.

"I pulled you away from the fire and brought you here because those natives will more then likely have already taken your friends," Vaughn spoke without a gentle tone in his voice and was straight forward with the girl beside him, "I saw you and figured I would at least get one innocent person away from danger, for now at least."

Autumn stared at him wide eyed, "You mean to tell me my friends could be dead right now?" Tears began to well in her eyes at the thought. No matter how stupid they were for wanting to come here, they didn't deserve to die.

"More then likely," He watched her and felt a pang of guilt hit his chest as he watched her eyes glass over, "Eh now, they might be fine too." He frowned and watched her slowly break down into a soft sob, not knowing what to do.

Vaughn had never been one to comfort or sugar coat anything for anyone, it just wasn't his style. Being a vampire hunter and one of the Five, he had no time for being gentle or overly kind. His life's work and the duty of being a hunter topped all other things he possibly could have had should he have decided not to kill his first vampire. But this girl in front of him reminded him of emotions he'd spent years training to suppress.

Slowly, Vaughn moved closer and placed his hand awkwardly on Autumn's shoulder, "You should get some sleep. I'll stay up and make sure nothin' happens, ay?"

She looked up at him and nodded slowly as she furiously rubbed the tears away from her eyes. She almost felt embarrassed for crying in front of this man, who was now trying to comfort her. Autumn could tell from the look on his face and the way he his hand touched her shoulder that he wasn't good at these sorts of things, making it even harder for her to look him in the eyes.

Autumn watched as he stood up and quickly got his sleeping bag ready for her, laying it off to the side far enough away from the fire that sparks wouldn't hit her. When he was finished he looked back at her as much to say that it was ready and watched her as she slowly stood up. He could tell by the way she moved that she was probably exhausted from everything that had happened tonight, quickly going to her side in case she stumbled and fell. She looked at him and offered him a small smile before going over to the sleeping bag and sat down. Once she was situated and comfortable, she gave him one last look and noticed he was sitting back down on the log with his knife and stake in hand.

"Vaughn," Autumn spoke almost in a whisper but Vaughn still looked over to her, "Thank you for your kindness."

Vaughn watched her curiously as she nuzzled the small pillow he'd laid down for her and quickly fell into a deep sleep. He stared at her sleeping form and took everything in. He had to admit even in the dim and misleading light of the fire she was extremely beautiful. At that moment he found himself thinking of a life he could have had, but she didn't deserve this. He would find a way to get her off this island and keep her ignorant of what she wasn't already aware of. By telling her of Silas he had already told her too much, so he would make sure he never spoke of vampires in front of her and make sure that once she was safe, she never learned of them when she was gone back to her normal life.

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**SOOOOO, I decided since there is a huge lack of Galen Vaughn on this website that I would pitch in a small story for the maybe four readers on here who might be interested. Personally, I LOVE Vaughn's character. I think he has a lot of potential, despite what he did to Bonnie and Jeremy. **

**Let's not forget the fact that he's good looking and has an accent to DIE FOR. Gahh, I literally sit there and gape in awe when he talks. It's almost as musical as listening to Kol talk with that sweet British accent. jsgnjgjskgje;khew; Okay I'm done now. LOOL**

**Anyways, if you like what you've read so far and wish for it to continue, comment/review and I will decide whether to take it from there or not. :D**


	2. To Be Selfish

**Hey guys! :D**

**I'm thrilled that my Vaughn story has attracted some people. I was seriously thinking that I was the only Vaughn-lover out there but I was proven wrong! Seems the sexy Scottish-accent has attracted some fans, which is good news for me because I would definitely like to take this fic up to AT LEAST five - eight chapters. I'll be honest that this is going to be a short story, probably not going passed ten chapters, if that. But I'm going to do my best with the limited screen time Vaughn has had to really give us his full character. You never know, I might be able to stretch it out if I decide to take him off the island. ;)**

**I usually don't think of songs to match the scenes in my fics, but this one song seemed too perfect not to put up while I was typing the end of this chapter. 8D**

**Lonestar - Amazed (Surprise at the end ;) )**

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The next morning Autumn woke up slowly and let her eyes adjust to the brightness of the sunlight peeking in through the trees. She blinked a few times hoping that would help take away the stinging sensation and rubbed her hands on her face a few times before realizing she was not in the cabin. Shooting up into a sitting position she quickly looked around and gripped a handful of the sleeping bag. Last nights events slowly popped back up in her head as she frowned a little.

"Mornin'," A familiar Scottish-clad voice called to her. She quickly turned around to see an extremely handsome blond man looking at her, "Sleep alright?"

Autumn blushed when she realized that it was Vaughn, "I guess." She couldn't help but stare at him. Vaughn had to have the most dazzling bright blue eyes she had ever seen.

She had to admit, seeing him in the day light, the man was very attractive. What the dim light of the fire had to offer as a visual last night didn't do him justice, not like she got to see him now.

He stood up with a plate in hand and walked over to her holding it out, "Here, you'll need your strength for today." When she took the plate in her hand thanking him he returned to his spot on the log and watched her curiously as she timidly began to eat, "No need to be shy, Autumn. You must be hungry."

Her cheeks burned a light red color, "Sorry... I just find it awkward to eat in front of people. Even family for that matter."

Vaughn took the hint and made himself busy to let her eat in peace. He began gathering all his equipment and packed it all in his bag. As Autumn ate she watched him and noticed everything he placed in that bag was a weapon of some sorts.

"Vaughn," She frowned a little, "Are you going hunting or something?"

He turned to look at her, "I guess you could say that," He continued what he was doing and when finished packing he looked back at her noticing she was finished eating, "If you're nervous about getting hurt, don't be. I won't let you get hurt."

Autumn felt a small bit of warmth spread through her body at his words and smiled, "Thank you."

Vaughn eyed the girl as she got up and set the plate down on the log and then went to the sleeping bag and began rolling it up. He silently observed her until she was finished and then took the rolled up sleeping bag and pillow from her attaching it to a duffel bag.

"You alright to carry this?" He picked up the duffel by the long shoulder strap and held it out to her.

Autumn nodded and took it from him, "Of course," She blinked at it's surprising weight but said nothing as she pulled the strap over her head and comfortably positioned it on her shoulder.

Vaughn soon suited up with his bag and then motioned for her to follow as they started their hike through the woods. The two traveled in silence as they watched for any signs of movement or danger, making sure to avoid trip wires that Vaughn would point out to her or any nets that had been camouflaged by shrubbery. Autumn was more then thankful for Vaughn's help, thinking about what might have happened if he was not there to warn her of the dangers in these woods. The thought suddenly made her think of her friends, bringing tears to her eyes almost instantly.

The thought of them dead made Autumn's heart break, knowing that there was nothing she could do. She had gotten away on a small drop of luck by being in the right place at the right time when Vaughn appeared and rescued her.

"You alright?"

Autumn quickly snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Vaughn, who had stopped walking and was now watching her.

She felt her cheeks burn a little as she smiled small at his concern, "Yes and no."

"You're thinking about your friends, eh?" He turned around and continued walking but stayed in a slower pace to allow her to catch up to him, "I can't make any promises but, if we manage to find your friends I'll do my best to rescue them for you."

Autumn stopped walking and looked right at him, "You would do that for me?"

"Ay," He looked over his shoulder at her, "No need for you and your friends to get caught up in a mess that doesn't concern you."

Autumn followed Vaughn and repeated his words in her mind. He would save her friends for her, pending if they were alive of course. The thought made a wave of relief crash over her.

As the two continued their hike Vaughn constantly glanced in Autumn's direction. There was something bugging him about this girl, and he didn't understand it. She brought up all those emotions he'd hoped he had completely rid himself of years and years ago. It was the look of gratitude in her bright hazel eyes that caught Vaughn's attention the most. She was so appreciative of his help and concern for her that he couldn't help but want to please her in some way and not disappoint her with the expectations she might have placed on him. He was both confused and intrigued by this stranger, and that alone made him feel strange.

Suddenly Vaughn spotted movement up a head and grabbed Autumn by the wrist pulling her behind a rather large tree surrounded by thick bushes. His eyes were intensely staring at the figures moving up a head that he hadn't noticed how close he pulled the girl to his chest.

She looked up at him with concern and tried not to think of how close they were, "Is something wrong, Vaughn?" She was whispering so low that she feared he may not have heard her.

Vaughn never ripped his eyes away from what lay a head of them, "Stay quiet and don't move." He gently freed her wrist from his strong grip and cautiously pulled out one of the stake guns from the holster on the side of his bag.

Autumn watched him intensely as he got into a stance and aimed the gun through the thick bushes, never moving an inch or making even the tiniest sound. She bit her lip and slowly looked around for any signs of danger that might come from behind them. The tension that had developed was almost suffocating to her, but she took a deep breath and did her best to remain calm.

After a moment Vaughn suddenly moved passed her and checked the other side of the tree, "Autumn I need you to do something for me, alright?"

"Sure," She replied less confidently then she'd thought she sounded.

Slowly Vaughn pulled out a crossbow from God-knows where and held it out to her, "I'm going to go check up a head, so I need you to cover me from back here," He noticed the fear in her eyes, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

Autumn nodded slowly and gently took the crossbow from Vaughn. He gave her a quick lesson on how to use it and then disappeared from her sight. She took a deep breath and went to where Vaughn once stood behind the bushes and looked for him but saw no signs of him. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of him getting caught by whoever it was that might have taken her friends, making her hands shake as her grip tightened on the crossbow. It seemed like an eternity since Vaughn left her side to go scout up a head. Autumn had become paranoid and was constantly looking around for anything, anticipating an attack while she was alone and vulnerable.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound that came from behind her as she shot around quickly aiming the crossbow, only to see Vaughn standing there with one of his hands extended, "Easy, it''s only me. Good reflex, though."

"Vaughn, thank God!" Autumn sighed deeply in relief and lowered the weapon down as she walked to him, "I was so worried you got caught."

Vaughn watched the girl as tears weld up in her eyes, "Eh, no time for tears," He hesitantly raised his hand and delicately touched her cheek running his thumb underneath her eye. He noticed how she froze under his touch and pulled away quickly, "Come on."

Autumn nodded slowly and rubbed her eyes quickly and then followed after him. She pushed all the fluttery feelings Vaughn's touch had caused and quietly trailed behind him, knowing this was not the time nor the place for any kind of intimate feeling.

When the darkness of the night slowly settled in around the woods, Vaughn immediately set up a small camp while Autumn tried her hardest to get a fire started. Vaughn glanced over at her watching how she had difficulty with getting the the flame she would make to stay lit and quietly made his way over.

He dropped down on one knee close to Autumn and took the pieces of flint from her, "Let me show you an easy way," He grabbed a handful of dry moss from a rock that was close to him and set it on a piece of tree bark before scrapping the flint together roughly right by the moss and quickly created a flame.

Autumn watched feeling a little embarrassed as he carefully placed the flame underneath some wood and was easily able to create a large fire, "I'll keep that in mind for next time." She sighed deeply and then giggled more towards herself then anything, "You make it look so easy."

"Years of practice," Vaughn looked at her with a small grin before standing up. He walked over to a tree stump and sat down, quickly beginning to pluck the abnormally large pheasant he'd killed earlier.

Autumn watched him for a moment before setting up a couple of thick branches that were relatively the same height and stuck them in the ground on either side of the fire. She quickly found another thinner branch and checked to see if it would fit across and found a way to rig it so it would hover above the fire so the meat would cook. As she kept herself busy she hadn't noticed Vaughn watching her. He couldn't help but feel a small shred of pride as she finished building a spit and stood back to admire her work.

Later that night after supper the two sat in a comfortable silence, the only noise being the crackling of the fire. Again, Vaughn found himself glancing her way repeatedly, unable to take his eyes off her for more then a few seconds. It was a new feeling to him, considering he had been in the city before coming to the island and was around women but they had never once earned a second glance. Autumn was in a whole league of her own, and the more she was with him the more he began to grow attached. It made his brows furrow in frustration. They had been together for a little over twenty-four hours, and already he felt like he couldn't let her walk away.

Vaughn silently pledged to keep her safe until they had to part, and he promised himself that he would see her home no matter what the cost.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself, Vaughn?" Autumn looked at him with a soft smile, "Nothing personal if you're not comfortable, but I would like to know a little bit more about you. You know, other then the fact you're a hunting expert."

Vaughn looked at the fire and gave a short chuckle, "A little about me, huh? Let's see," He paused to think for a moment, "Well I don't exactly have anything pleasant about my childhood. I lost my parents when I was young, and I guess you could say I'd taken up hunting shortly after their deaths."

"Wow..." Autumn frowned, "I'm so sorry to hear about that."

He looked at her and shrugged, "It happened a long time ago. No time to dwell in the past nowadays," Using a long branch he poked at a log in the fire to keep the flame blazing high, "Enough about my depressing history, what about you?"

"Well," Autumn didn't want to change the subject as Vaughn intrigued her beyond belief but wouldn't push or pry at him if he didn't wish to talk about himself, "To give you the short version, my mother and I live in a small town in Virginia. I have two dogs named Abel and Knox, and a cat named Jagger. Nothing in my life is exactly fun or action packed, so coming out here was probably the most exciting thing I've ever done," She looked at the fire with a small frown, "Despite everything that's happened, of course."

Vaughn observed her while she continued to talk, trying hard not to stare at her lips as she spoke. Every time his eyes landed anywhere near her mouth he felt a strong urge to lean forward and claim them in a deep kiss, but he held back for obvious reasons. He had a hard time telling himself they were strangers and that this wasn't the place he wanted to engage in such an act. He gave his head a shake to rid himself of those thoughts and looked at the fire.

"I'm glad I met you," Autumn's words caught his attention and brought his eyes back to her face once more, "I've never met a guy like you before."

His eyebrow rose, "What do you mean?"

"You're so..." She leaned back against his hands as she thought of how to word what she about to say, "You're so tough and you seem to know how to handle any situation. I've never seen someone who could stay so calm knowing that they might be forced into some sort of combat even if the odds are against them," She looked at him with a smile, "Not to mention you have this unique charm to you."

Vaughn blinked, "Unique charm?" He chuckled a bit, "Wouldn't know anything about that."

"You also have the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen, and I can't believe I'm saying that out loud." Autumn felt her cheeks furiously heat up as she looked towards the fire.

He stared at her in silence as she smiled looking at the fire avoiding eye contact with him. Her words repeated in his head over and over, making his brows furrow. No one had ever complimented on his eyes before, let alone given him a compliment in general.

He slowly turned his gaze to fire before taking in a deep breath, "Well to make this less awkward, I think you're beautiful."

Autumn suddenly felt as if she was in a romantic movie. Her heart skipped a beat at his flattering words. She wanted to respond to him but no words would come out. All she could do was silently look at him and smile shyly. Vaughn glanced at her and returned her small smile with his own before getting up. He muttered a few things she couldn't quite catch to himself as he readied the sleeping bag for her like the night before.

Again, Autumn found herself smiling at his kindness towards her. She slowly got up and made her way over to him, "I know I say this a lot and it's probably getting annoying but, thank you Vaughn. I mean it."

He looked down at her, "You're welcome," He gave her a small smile and set the pillow at the top of the sleeping bag down for her.

He stood up straight and went to walk passed her but froze in place when he felt her lips press against his cheek gently. When she pulled away she moved passed him but he caught her arm and gently turned her around to face him. Leaning down, Vaughn kissed her, which she immediately returned. She could feel in the way his hand now cupped her cheek that he was feeling almost tentative. Slowly, Autumn brought a hand to grip the back of his neck to pull him closer.

When they finally pulled away to catch their breath he softly ran his thumb across her cheek, "You best get some sleep."

Autumn looked up at him and nodded with a smile before standing on her her tippy-toes to give him one more gentle kiss before pulling away completely. Vaughn watched her with a small smile as she settled herself into a comfortable position and soon closed her eyes. He stood there watching her for another moment before going to the tree stump nearby and sat down. Picking up his knife and a random piece of wood he'd grabbed, he settled himself down he sliced away pieces of bark little by little, occasionally glancing at the woman he'd just selfishly stolen an intimate moment with. If he could choose any distraction from the mission at hand, he couldn't argue that a chance taste her lips again would be exactly what he would choose without hesitation..

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Y**eahhhh, I know, he's probably soooooooooo out of character that it's disgusting, but TOO BAD. LOOL**

**When I watch Vaughn I feel like he could be a very passionate lover if he had a woman to protect and go home to when this whole 'Brotherhood of the Five' mission was done. I mean, Connor told Elena while she was hallucinating that he had a family, so why can't Vaughn have a chance at happiness with someone, huh? :D**

**Comment/review and all that amazing stuff you awesome peepulars do. ;D**


	3. Reasons

**Hellooooo people of the Fanfiction world, it is I! :D**

**I'm still very happy that people are enjoying this story, and I'm still a little shocked that I'm one of the only ones on here so far that has a Vaughn story. I would have thought there would be about four or five by now. ;)**

**Anywhoo, this chapter is a little on the short side as I haven't decided whether to follow the season four storyline or to make it all up as I go along, or maybe even a bit of both. Who knows. Next chapter will have my decision on how this story goes. :)**

**Thank you to all of you who commented, I appreciate the love. :3b**

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"So Vaughn," Autumn looked around as she followed the handsome hunter in front of her, "You never did tell me why you don't like being called by your first name."

Vaughn glanced back at her and chuckled a little, "It's not that I don't like being called Galen," He looked passed a thick bush and motioned for the girl to follow, "I've only ever let loved ones call me that name, the rest have always addressed me as Vaughn. I can only think of one time when someone has called me by my first name that wasn't family."

"I see," The girl smiled at his reasons, "Mind if I ask what happened?"

The man in front of her remained silent before looking over his shoulder at her, "It happened when I had saved a woman from being killed by three vampires. She was grateful for the help, and thanked me."

Autumn nodded with a smile, "So the will to help strangers doesn't just fall on innocent campers like me on deserted islands?"

"Nah," Vaughn chuckled, "But I save the special treatment for girls like you that can't change the situation."

Autumn felt her cheeks heat up at his words, "So basically what you're telling me is, I can only call you by your real name if there's a real reason to use it?"

"Ay, I'd prefer it that."

The two traveled in silence for a while until they both decided to take a break. Vaughn had caught something for them to eat while Autumn created a spit again, and managed to make a fire without his assistance. Secretly he watched her, that same feeling of pride as the day before.

"Can you tell me more about this Silas character you're hunting down?" Autumn looked at Vaughn, noticing how he immediately tensed at her words.

His blue eyes caught hers, "That's not something you should be letting yourself get involved with, lass."

"Why though?" She frowned, "You don't have to tell me everything, but I just want to know why."

Vaughn sighed deeply, "Alright, I'll tell you," He mentally kicked himself for agreeing to explain these things to her but somehow knew she could handle knowing, "Silas was a powerful witch that lived 2000 years ago, and was turned into an immortal by a woman named Qetsiyah, who he betrayed and wished to give the gift of immortality to his lover."

"That's upsetting," Autumn frowned then blinked when Vaughn gave her a strange look, "Oops, sorry..."

He flashed her a grin before continuing his story, "Anyways, as the story goes, Qetsiyah murdered his lover and then created a cure for immortality, imprisoning it with Silas so that it can be used against him to kill him. It is said she also created the _other side_, much like a purgatory for those who die a supernatural death."

Autumn stared at him, "You mean like vampires and stuff, right?"

"Ay, that's exactly what I mean. Qetsiyah made it so that he would never be at piece whether he lived or died," He looked at the fire, "Eventually there was a witch who cast a spell to create the Brotherhood of the Five, who are bound by an oath to hunt and kill vampires to complete this," Vaughn moved his sleeve up to reveal an intriguing tattoo, "It's called a hunters mark, and grows with each death of a vampire. Normally anyone who isn't a hunter can't see it, but since it's been completed anyone can see it."

"But how can a human hunt vampires?" Autumn frowned, "Aren't they super strong and lightning fast?"

"Essentially, but those who bare the hunters mark are blessed with heightened speed and strength," He looked at Autumn and winked, "We might not be as powerful as a vampire but we're good enough to take them down without too much of a fuss."

Autumn scooted closer to Vaughn and timidly took his hand in hers, studying the mark with extreme interest, "This piece on your hand and wrist," Slowly she traced her fingers over what she could see before the end of his sleeve, "It looks like the beginning to a map."

"You're pretty sharp to notice that, lass," Vaughn looked at her with an impressed expression on his face, "The full tattoo is a map that leads to the cure."

"Okay so," Autumn looked up at him, "Hunters are the map to the cure but, what about Silas?"

Vaughn stared at the girl beside him, "It is a hunters duty to kill vampires but our real mission is to raise and kill Silas, and bring the mission of the Five to an end."

"Is that why you're here then?"

"Ay, it is."

Autumn looked back down at his hand and continued to trace her fingers over the tattoo gently as Vaughn watched her with interest. She remained silent and digested everything Vaughn told her about the Brotherhood of the Five, vampires, witches, and more importantly the mission to kill Silas.

"Isn't it going to be dangerous?" Autumn never took her eyes off Vaughn's hand, "You have to raise Silas in order to kill him, right?" She looked up at him as he nodded, "Does that mean he's kind of like a vampire? Won't he need blood in that case?"

Vaughn nodded, "Ay. I need to raise Silas in order to cram the cure down his throat and then kill him."

Autumn remained silent for a moment before looking into his eyes, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," He gave her a sharp look, "I'm telling you all of this because you asked but, I'm not letting you get involved in something like this. You'll get killed."

Autumn frowned up at him, "He's dangerous, isn't he? What if you need back up?"

Vaughn stifled a laugh as he stood up pulling hand out of her grip, "And what exactly do you think you'll be able to do if he kills me, huh?" He looked down at her, "He'll kill you instantly, Autumn. I've been killing vampires my entire life, and you-you haven't even killed one. You don't know what it's like."

Autumn stood up and held her ground, "I don't care if it's your mission or life-long destiny to do this Vaughn, I'm not letting you go alone." She glared up at him in frustration.

Vaughn stared down at her with an equally frustrated expression before running his fingers through his hair and began pacing. Autumn watched him silently and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him mutter to himself angrily. She made a mental note at his aggravation, telling her he more then likely never encountered a woman as stubborn or headstrong as she. When Vaughn finally seemed to settle down he walked back over to Autumn and put both hands on her shoulders, a firm look in his eyes as he stared down at her.

"I appreciate the concern Autumn," She narrowed her eyes knowing exactly what he was about to say, "But this is too dangerous for you."

Autumn jabbed her finger into his chest, "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not Vaughn. I'm not letting you do this on your own, so stop arguing!"

"God dammit!" Vaughn pulled away again and groaned in frustration, "What part of no do you not understand?!"

She glared up at him, "Ask yourself that same question!"

The two exchanged glares before Autumn's eyes softened, "Vaughn, please," She frowned and stepped up to him gently putting her hand on his arm, "Let me go with you. I'll keep out of your way and I promise if things get nasty, I won't get in the way and I'll leave if you tell me to."

The hunter continued to glare at the girl touching him. He couldn't decide whether she was brave or completely stupid for wanting to be a part of this. Deep down he knew if he told her the history and purpose of why he was here that she would give this reaction, but for some reason he couldn't help but blab the entire story to her.

Deep down, he more then admired her courage and her concern for his well-being.

"No."

"Vaughn!"

"You're not coming with me to the crypt," He held his ground with a stern look on his face, "You're not capable of defending yourself against Silas, and when I raise him I won't be able to protect you if something goes wrong."

"I know the risks that I'm getting myself into Vaughn," Autumn didn't budge, "But I just... I can't let you go alone. Not after everything you've done to keep me safe on this island."

Vaughn froze in place at the honesty of her words, "But Autumn-"

"No buts! I'm going, and I refuse to take no for an answer!"

The two stood in silence just staring at one another knowing more arguing would do no good. Both had voiced their opinions, and both were against the other. Vaughn wanted nothing more then to keep her safe and get her off the island, while Autumn wanted to help protect and keep him safe, be of some use as back up in his mission to kill Silas.

A deep sigh escaped Vaughn's throat as he ran his hand over his face, "I can't believe I'm going to say this but, fine, you can come." He turned around and started pacing again, only this time Autumn didn't hear him muttering to himself.

"Thank you Galen," Autumn couldn't stop herself from saying his name, "I won't make you regret that decision."

Vaughn swiftly turned around to stare at her. She couldn't match his gaze and turned away when she felt his eyes on her. Slowly Vaughn walked towards her and extended his hand to reach up and touch her cheek gently. The touch of her skin against Vaughn's made visions of last night shoot through his mind, the urge to kiss the girl in front of him again begging him to give in. Giving his head a little shake he sighed and pulled Autumn to his chest to hold her close, accepting the feeling of how good she felt in his arms to ease his mind on what he'd just agreed to.

"You know the risks and the danger but, you're still willing to go through with it, eh?" Vaughn spoke as if he wasn't addressing her specially, "Can't say I ever met someone like you before, Autumn."

Autumn sighed softly against his chest, "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Ay, you should," He chuckled, "I don't give compliments unless they're earned."

She looked up at him with a smile, "Thank you for your honesty."

Vaughn returned her smile with his own, "You're welcome, lass."

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**Awww, ended on a good note. ;)**

**If you guys read the blurb at the beginning you'll notice that next chapter decides whether to strictly follow the storyline, to make shit up as I go, or to do a bit of both. Opinions on the matter would be appreciated as I'm kinda torn between ideas. :)**

**Comment/review, all that awesome stuff you amazing peepulars do. :D**


	4. New Arrival

**Hello all! So sorry for the lack of updates, I've been super busy and I've just been on a mission to finish my Kol story that it took up most of my time. LOOL**

**But now that I've finished my Kol story, I will have updates for this series shooting out like nobodies business! :Db**

**Also I want to thank rachida for the very detailed review that was made. I really do enjoy the honesty, and would love to hear more from you guys if you have any comments, questions or concerns. Just a heads up (if you read her review), there was a comment made about the lack of shock on Autumn's part when Vaughn revealed his true purpose and the truth about vampires. I'm not going to give it all away but, there's a reason for that. I'll leave you guys to ponder that over, with over-active imaginations and all. ;)**

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"Alright," Vaughn positioned himself behind Autumn, "Let me position you and then you can fire." He closed the distance between them and soon trapped her in his arms, his hands resting over hers as he helped to aim her better towards the make-shift target he'd placed on a tree.

Autumn frowned, "I did just fine the first time!" She continued to protest as he chuckled in amusement, "It's not funny!"

She turned to look back at him only to see a grin spread across his face, "Uh huh, if completely missing the target is what you call fine."

Autumn huffed and faced forward again. She let him move her to the correct position and then stood still. She felt butterflies in her stomach as he leaned in, his breath tickling her ear gently.

"Now, show me what you can do."

The girl bit her lip and gave a quick nod before pulling the trigger to release the stake, instantly hitting the target. She smiled bright and then looked back at Vaughn, his teasing words completely forgotten at her achievement. He returned flashed her an arrogant grin which earned him a jab in the side.

"Don't be so cocky," Autumn narrowed her eyes matching the new playful look that graced his handsome face, "I could have done that all on my own!"

"You keep telling yourself that, lass," Vaughn chuckled at her stubbornness as stepped away from her. He reached into a bag that was filled with all the extra stakes for his many guns and pulled out several of them. Turning back to face Autumn he held one out and watched as she loaded the gun, "I see that didn't take long for you to pick up."

Autumn huffed at the amusement in his tone, "I'm glad to see you find all of this so funny, but I can do just fine without help."

"Alright," Vaughn smirked, "Hit that target," He raised his hand and pointed to the farthest target that happened to be in the hardest position, "In the middle. If you don't, I continue to help you, _and_ you willingly accept my teasing."

Autumn turned to look at the man and contemplated his wager, "Okay, but if I do get a bulls eye, they you don't tease me anymore and," She paused to think of something else, "And, you promise to tuck me in every night until I leave the island."

Vaughn blinked at the strange request, "Tuck you in at night?"

"Yep!" Autumn grinned, "Tuck me in at and wish me goodnight."

He stepped forward and leaned in with a sly grin, "Does this deal involve a little kiss at night as well?"

"If you want," Autumn continued to grin up at him, knowing he was trying to make her feel awkward or shy. But she had been around this man long enough that all tentative feelings were no longer present. In truth, she wanted nothing more then to lay beside him in his arms and stare into those incredible blues of his, "I wouldn't object."

Vaughn stepped back and casually crossed his arms. He took in every detail and watched how she aimed the gun, taking the stance he had taught her no more then five minutes ago. A grin slowly formed on his lips once more. She remained still and silent for a moment before releasing the stake, hitting the target dead on.

Autumn smiled big and raised her hands in victory, turning to look at the hunter, "I win!"

"Beginners luck," Vaughn shrugged a shoulder casually and then sighed dramatically, "I guess that means I have to pamper you at night, then."

"Hey!" Autumn slapped his chest barely and glared, "You're not pampering me, you're just being nice."

He smirked, "No, I think it's called being pampered."

Autumn set the gun down and crossed her arms, "You're such a meanie."

"Meanie? I thought I was a jerk? I do recall you using that name for me at least once when I made a comment about you tripping over a rock on our way here."

"Don't mock me," Autumn pouted and looked away in a huff, "And that was an accident! I wasn't paying attention!"

"Oh," He looked at her with eyes full of curiosity, "And may I ask had your undivided attention on a hike through the woods?"

Autumn's cheeks flushed, "Well, nothing of importance of course..." She turned away shyly and began putting the weapons away in their proper places in his pack.

Vaughn watched the girl and smiled, "Come here."

She looked at him and placed the last gun into its rightful spot before walking to him, "Yes?"

Autumn's cheeks turned a furious shade of red as Vaughn wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, which she immediately returned. He let out a comfortable sigh, "Now, this I could get used to." He placed his chin atop of her head and Autumn giggled.

"And why is that?" Autumn let herself nuzzle his chest, completely comfortable with the idea of being so close to him.

Vaughn's smile grew, "What man in his right mind wouldn't enjoy holding his pretty young lady friend for hours?" The two fell into a comfortable silence and enjoyed the few peaceful moments in each others arms until Vaughn reluctantly released her, "We should get our camp set up."

Autumn internally whimpered at the loss of contact and nodded. The two collected their packs and headed off towards a part of the island they had not traveled yet. Again Vaughn made sure to tell her where all the trip wires were and where all the other traps were laid. Every now and then he would glance back at her, and would smile at how content she was to follow him around. Around the middle of the afternoon they both settled on a place that was well concealed and set up camp.

"I think it's time I teach you a little self defense," Vaughn looked at her, "You can handle the guns and the crossbow, but now you need some practical stuff."

Autumn blanched, "And how exactly am I supposed to defend myself against a vampire?"

"I'm not just talking protection against vampires, lass," He winked, "I'm talking in general. I can't always be there to protect you."

The girl frowned a little, "Okay, sure."

Vaughn noticed her reaction and offered her a smile, which she mirrored with her own. Once Vaughn had the last touches to their camp finished, he pulled her off to the side and showed her some basic moves that she would easily be able to defend herself again. Once she picked up on those, he began making things a little more difficult for her, showing his amusement when she would get all flustered and demand for him to stop cheating. He in turn would laugh at her, enjoying all the reactions he'd caused.

"Come on lass," He grinned and blocked a punch to the face, "You can't let your emotions control you. See how mad you're getting and how bad your aim is now?"

Autumn threw the most powerful right hook she could muster, "Stop making fun of me!" When he caught her fist with ease she took the opportunity to swing her foot out and nailed him in the shin, "Jerk!"

Vaughn stumbled back slightly not having expected her to kick him and then flew forward and easily pinned her to a tree. He gripped her wrists with both hands and held them above her head, a triumphant smirk crossing his face.

"See," Autumn glared up at him, "This is what a jerk would do."

His blue eyes bore into hers, "Ay, but would a jerk do this?" Autumn began to protest but was silenced as Vaughn's lips pressed against hers. She was momentarily shocked but kissed back soon enough.

She could feel her cheeks heat up as his hands released her wrists and settled themselves on her waist, her own finding their way to the back of his neck as their lips moved together in a slow and gentle rhythm, seeming to be exactly what they needed. The confidence Vaughn brought to their unofficial relationship was able to balance out the feelings Autumn had for him, and allow her to let herself open up to his advances. She was shy, but she knew if given the chance, he would help guide her through whatever barrier blocked their way. Autumn trusted this man with her life, so it only seemed fitting that he stole her first real moments of intimacy.

When Vaughn pulled back he stared down into the girls eyes and felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. He couldn't describe in words how beautiful she was when she smiled up at him.

"Okay, so maybe you're not a huge jerk," He chuckled and pulled away from her with a nod as she straightened herself up, "We should get a fire started. It's almost night."

Vaughn nodded and went off to collect some extra fire wood while Autumn finished setting up the camp, making sure to have everything ready for when Vaughn returned. Darkness soon consumed the woods and left Autumn alone in the dim light of the small fire she was able to get started. She would scan all over the empty woods for any signs of Vaughn returning and would frown when there was no sign of him. Her senses were at their maximum as she sat there listening to the lick and crackles of the fire, when sudden movement coming from behind her made strange shivers run down her spine.

Autumn immediately jumped up and grabbed the crossbow she'd set beside her and aimed at the spot the bushed had rustled in, "Vaughn?" When no response was made on the intruders part, she gripped the handle to her weapon and drew in a deep breath.

Out of no where a black blur rushed to her and disarmed her, and soon she found herself pinned to a tree staring into almost clear crystal blue eyes. The man who had a hold her was very tall, dressed in all black to match his dark hair, and looked no older then she herself.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The man narrowed his eyes and waited impatiently for her reply, loosening his grip enough to give her some comfort but still kept it strong enough to hold her in place.

Autumn glared up at the man, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Alright, how about we skip passed the part where you play the defiant girl who thinks she stands a chance against me, and start off at the part where you answer my questions," He leaned in closer to the girl, "Tell me who you are, and why you're here."

Autumn's eyes narrowed to match his own penetrating gaze, "Go a head and kill me. I'm not telling you anything."

The man muttered something incoherent and soon pulled her out from the tree, only to slam her back hard instantly knocking her out. Instead of letting her body drop to the ground in a heap he picked her up and deduced that it would probably be in his best interest to bring her back to the others with him. The man started walking through the woods carrying the unconscious girl in his arms, keeping an eye out on his surroundings. Suddenly an arrow shot out from no where and hit him in the arm, forcing him to the drop the girl out of anger.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered angrily, removing the arrow before leaning down to pick her up.

Before Autumn's kidnapper could retrieve her, he felt himself jolt forward as an unknown attacker tackled him to the ground. He managed to the upper hand over the new intruder and immediately pinned him down underneath his own body, hands grasping at his neck ready to snap if necessary. The black haired man's eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of the tattoo that was on his prisoners hand and narrowed his eyes, "You're one of the Five."

Quickly the newly discovered hunter grabbed his attackers arm and flung him forward, scrambling towards him and mimicked the hold that had been on his neck seconds ago, snapping the vampires neck without a blink of an eye. Vaughn caught his breath for a moment and then looked over to see the unconscious human the vampire had been carrying.

It was Autumn.

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**So here it is! Finally, we meet Damon, although he's definitely not off to a good start. First he got caught by Vaughn in the series, but messing with his love interest is only going to get the vamp into more pooh. ;P**

**Soes, comment/review and all that lovely stuff! Next chapter will be longer, I promise! :D**


	5. To The Wishing Well

**Well, glad to see a few readers were excited for the update. It makes me happy to at least put a smile on one persons face! 8D**

**I decided to write this because some good things happened today to put me in a SUPER good mood, so enjoy this chappy as much as you may (or may not) have the last one! I'm going to try and update frequently for the sake of keeping my readers happy and all, cuz I love you guys so much. :)**

**I might, JUST MIGHT, make this series rated K+ or even M, because I almost feel that a Vaughn/Autumn erm... intimate scene is in order. Maybe not smex, but just about. I dunno, tell me what you guys think about that and we'll go from there. ;)**

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Autumn laid next to where Vaughn sat and slowly stirred at the sound of two sets of voices. She could hear Vaughn speaking with a cocky tone, talking about a girl named Elena. He mentioned the tattoo and how he'd been killing vampires his entire life. Her eyes slowly opened, just in time to see Vaughn stand up and walk towards the man who had kidnapped her with a wooden pole.

"Ah! You're not taking me seriously. I don't blame ya. You don't know me," Vaughn stood square and quickly shoved the pointed end of the wooden pole into the mans neck, "So let me introduce myself. My name is Galen Vaughn, and you'd better start talkin'."

Autumn slowly sat up and held her heard, "Vaughn?" Both male eyes were on her as she looked over towards them again, her vision less blurry then when she woke up, "What happened? And why is Damon Salvatore here?"

Vaughn left Damon's side immediately and kneeled down beside the girl, "Feelin' okay?" He gently checked her head for any signs of bleeding, much like he did when he'd brought both Damon and Autumn back to the camp. When the girl nodded with a small smile he stood back up. He questioned how the now conscious girl knew Damon's name, quickly making a mental note that she must have woken up a little while ago.

Autumn slowly stood up and took a moment to regain her balance before striding over to the bound Salvatore, promptly giving him a fierce kick to the groin, "Jack ass!"

Vaughn watched is pure amusement while Damon's face contorted with pain as he grunted, "Thanks." Both men watched as she walked over to her bag and grabbed a change of clothing, not wishing to wear the dirt-covered ones she had on now. Autumn dashed behind a large tree quickly while Vaughn waited and noticed when the dirty clothing flew to the side, taking that as his chance to interrogate her.

He stayed in view so that he could keep an eye on Damon, "Autumn," She looked up at him noticing his brows were furrowed, "Mind telling me how you know Damon?"

"I've been tracking the Salvatore brothers ever since Klaus completed the ritual," She stated matter of factually as she pulled her sweater over her head, "I've been training to hunt vampires since I was young."

Vaughn stared at the girl in disbelief, "And couldn't think of any moment spent together to tell me this? You led me to believe that you didn't have any idea about any of this until I told you," His eyes narrowed slightly, "You were lying then?"

"I wouldn't lie to you Vaughn," Autumn frowned, "I didn't remember much from my childhood until now," She looked down at her hands and narrowed her eyes going deep in thought, "I don't know what happened, but a few years back I suddenly forgot everything, as if my mind had been completely wiped. I ingested vervain daily so I knew I couldn't have been compelled, but waking up just now made all those memories come flooding back. I don't know how else to explain it."

The Scottish man reached up and ran his hand over his head a few times, muttering to himself about this new situation he had himself in. On one hand, since she seemed to remember all previous training, she wouldn't be in danger and would be able to defend herself. She wouldn't slow him down. On the other hand, all trust in her began to dissipate. He thought that maybe she was no longer the same girl she was when he found her at that camp fire the night the natives decided to kidnap her friends.

Now that she remembered, what other possibilities would arise? Would she turn on him now that she knew her purpose again? Or would she be an asset to this mission Vaughn dedicated his life to completing. Another thing tore at his subconscious as well. The fact that she was so intrigued by his hunters mark sparked questions as well. Did she have previous knowledge on what it was?

"Tell me," Vaughn gave a quick glance to check on Damon to see if he was still tied to the tree and then looked back at Autumn, "Did you know about the hunters mark before you forgot everything?"

Autumn nodded, only confirming Vaughn's suspicion, "My brother was one of the Five. Before he was killed, he was extremely close to completing his mark. He told me he only had a few more vampires to go before it was done, and then the real mission would begin," She looked up at Vaughn, "Like you, he knew what the real mission of the Five was. And like you, he tried to keep me safe from it all but eventually ended up telling me."

"Deep down I figured you must have known," Vaughn admitted, "Your lack of reaction gave me a sneaky suspicion you knew more then what you were letting on."

Autumn glared, "I'm not lying to you when I tell you that I forgot, Vaughn. I wouldn't do that," When Vaughn crossed his arms she sighed, "I'm sorry that this is upsetting you."

The hunter drew in a deep breath with eyes closed and released it slowly. When he opened his eyes he looked down at Autumn, "It's okay," He could see relief wash over her face, "Lets talk about this more when this is all over, yeah?"

"Okay," Autumn smiled small, slowly reaching up to touch Vaughn's cheek gently, "I really am sorry about everything, Vaughn..."

He leaned down and slowly pressed his lips to the girls forehead before pulling away and walking back over to Damon. Autumn followed quietly and helped Vaughn pack everything into their bags. Soon enough the three were off in the direction of the wishing well. Every now and then, Damon would ask a question and earn a shove forward from Vaughn. After walking for several hours, Autumn heard Damon mutter to himself.

"Mind telling me where we're going?" Damon continued to look around as he walked a head of his two captors.

Autumn mirrored Damon and scanned the area as Vaughn spoke, "At the wishing well lies an entrance to a crypt. In the crypt lies Silas. And with Silas lies the cure, which will allow me to kill Silas."

"That will end your mission, right?" Autumn looked back at Vaughn who gave her a nod in response. She already knew the answer but wished for Vaughn to confirm it once again. She was a girl who needed this reassurance, seeing as how she would be risking her life for this man.

The blue-eyed hunter looked towards Damon once more before casually looking around, "You're our leverage, Damon. Autumn and I use you to get your witch friend to open the passage to Silas' crypt for us." He could see the girl smile small out of the corner of his eye, making his mood lift all that much more.

"Wait, you're going to use _me_ to get to Bonnie Bennett?" Damon spoke in disbelief, "Whoa, kids, you got the wrong vampire."

"We'll see about that," Vaughn walked passed him and gave a quick look around before turning to face Damon.

"Here's the deal, Shrek," Damon gave Vaughn a mocking glare, "My witch friend will be more then happy to open the passage for you, no leverage necessary. All we want is the cure, so you cut us in on your share, we'll be out of your hair."

Autumn watched as Vaughn's brows furrowed, his facial expression becoming series, "You really don't understand, do you?"

"What's there to not understand?" Damon narrowed his eyes. Autumn deduced that he clearly did not like being spoken down to.

"There's more to it then that, Damon," Autumn looked at the vampire, who shot her a nasty glare before muttering something to himself. He sighed an irritated sigh before facing Vaughn once again.

"Fine. Why don't you explain it?"

"Silas is immortal. I have to cram the cure down his throat in order to kill him."

"So what does that have to do with me and my friends?" Damon's glare never let up. If looks could kill, Vaughn would have been dead and gone by now.

The hunter glanced over to Autumn out of habit, something that had been picked up with their time together and then focused back to Damon, "_I_ need to use the cure against Silas. Your friends, they can't exactly have it now can they."

"So then you use it on Silas, and then we'll use it on whoever wants to use it," Anyone could see that Damon was frustrated with arguing against the hunter and was losing his patience, "I get that your mission takes priority, and we'll gladly let you use it to get rid of this supposed terrifying being, so what's the big problem? We'll make a deal that works both ways."

Vaughn gave him a look and shrugged, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

"And why not?" Damon glared.

"So it is written."

Autumn watched the two males and sighed deeply. If they kept this up, she would have to find a way to separate them. Damon might have been bound by vervain-soaked ropes, but Vaughn was clearly getting under the immortals skin.

"And I'm supposed to know what that means? I don't speak freakish hunter lingo, so elaborate for me, will you?"

Vaughn looked Damon square in the eye, "There is only one dose."

The vampire suddenly fell silent with this new bout of information. Autumn watched him as he narrowed his eyes and directed his gaze to the ground. She made a mental note that he was more then likely under the suspicion the the cure would consist of a massive dosage that would cure all those who desire it, like he stated earlier. She frowned slightly at the thought. This vampire was none like any other she'd encountered before. He seemed to care deeply for many. Perhaps he had a coven, or even simply a mate? Even with all of her previous observations, Damon still peeked her curiosity.

"Come on, there's a long way to go." Vaughn walked passed Damon to stand behind him again and shoved him forward roughly.

Another couple hours of walking in silence lead to another aggravated session with Damon, as Vaughn continuously shoved him forward. Damon would mutter something nasty towards the Scottish man, which would earn yet another shove forward. Autumn looked at Vaughn as he apologized about revealing the real truth and purpose for the cure, and demanded that he just accept the fact that the cure would never be his to use.

"I don't care about the cure," Damon shot back with a snide bite to his words, "Quite frankly, I don't know who wouldn't want to become a vampire."

Autumn looked at the immortal, "I could give you a few reasons." She gave him a playful smile and sent a wink in his direction, earning a look from Vaughn as he watched the two exchange looks.

"You know, if I wasn't a vampire, I wouldn't be able to do nine of the things I'm going to do to you once I'm free," Damon looked over his shoulder to glare at Vaughn briefly when the vampire stumbled forward due to yet another shove, "Make that ten."

"Ay," Vaughn spoke with a mocking tone, his voice laced with pure amusement. Autumn could also tell he was fighting back laughter that continued threaten its way out from his system.

"Boys," Autumn sighed, "Can we drop the tough-guy act for now and just try to get along until we get to the wishing well?" Vaughn cast Autumn a knowing look. He could tell just from her body language that Damon's and his bickering was becoming a bother to her.

"Oh don't worry girlie, I have something cooked up for you too, seeing as how you're his obedient little accomplice."

Autumn rolled her eyes ignoring the part about her being an obedient accomplice, "As if I'd be intimidated by someone like you."

Damon gave Autumn a very nasty look as Vaughn shot her the tiniest smile, making no attempt to argue or add to her comment. There was a few minutes of complete silence before Damon let out an exasperated sigh.

"Alright," Damon suddenly spoke up and stopped to lean against a tree, "Time for a little honesty here," He paused to look up at Vaughn and Autumn, "I'll admit it, my friends want the cure, and I want them to have it."

"You've already made that point clear once," Autumn's eyebrows knit together, "So what's the point of what you're saying this time?"

"I get very upset when I can't provide for my loved ones," Damon continued to lock eyes with Vaughn choosing to ignore the girl's words, "But tell me something Vaughn, if all you and your pretty little girlfriend here are worried about is Bonnie the Teenage Witch, then why'd you stick your neck out to save Jeremy and Elena yesterday?"

Vaughn's eyebrow rose. His eyes flashed to Autumn's own curious ones before drifting back to Damon, "How'd I do that?"

As Damon described the attacked Vaughn shook his head and gave a tug at the vervain ropes, "I don't remember doing such a thing. I was with Autumn the entire time."

Damon braced against the pull as the sound of burning flesh echoed around the three, "We're on a remote island. There's you, your girlfriend, me, and a bunch of unpleasant locals. You're telling me someone else took out that monster truck of a human by themselves? I don't buy it."

"What reason would Vaughn have to lie to you? Honestly." Autumn's eyebrow rose as Damon looked at her.

His eyes narrowed, "On an island with only a small handful of inhabitants? It makes you both look suspicious."

"And I'm telling you," Vaughn reached forward and grabbed Damon's shirt hauling him off the tree, "It's wasn't us."

The three began walking again until Damon stumbled and froze staring down at the ground behind a thick bush. Autumn walked over and looked right at Vaughn and Damon when she saw the body of a dead man on the ground. Judging by the markings on his face, Autumn confirmed that he was indeed a local native of the island.

Damon stood up straight and then looked at the two humans who currently held him captive, "Was that you?"

"No," Vaughn looked at the body and then back at Damon, "You?"

"Nope. How about the lady friend?"

Autumn glared, "No."

Vaughn quickly looked around, "Maybe you're right. There really is someone else on this island."

"Maybe it's the same person who took my friends?" Autumn suddenly frowned and looked at Vaughn, who gave her a knowing glance. He flashed her a small reassuring smile.

Damon took note on how the two responded to each other, knowing that if it came down to his own personal safety, he would use the girl as insurance to keep himself alive should the hunter try to kill him, "Sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment, but if we're being followed by some super strong killer, I'd like to keep moving."

Vaughn made no attempt to argue for the sake of Autumn's sanity and nodded before ushering Damon forward, this time without a rough shove to go with his demand. His hand quickly grasped Autumn's, fingers immediately lacing with her own. Despite being in the presence of the man they were using to barter with a witch, Vaughn felt no need to be shy. Her cheeks flushed at the kind gesture as she tightened her grip on his hand.

About halfway there Vaughn stopped abruptly to pull up his sleeve as his tattoo disappeared, "Looks like your witch is casting her spell."

* * *

"Looks like someone beat us to the punch," Autumn muttered.

When the three walked into the first half of the cave, they all looked around before Damon walked as far away from the couple as the rope would let him and then turned to face Vaughn.

"That's a shame Damon," Vaughn looked right at the vampire, "You're of no use anymore. Hate to kill you."

"Feelings mutual," Damon's voice was laced with sarcasm, "You know, that pesky hunters curse and all. It'll all be worth it though."

"Ay," Vaughn gripped the longest part of the rope, "I'll make this whole thing quick and painless. Since you were such good company, and willing to cooperate with us."

Vaughn gave a swift and strong tug on the rope as Damon braced against him, attempting to pull the hunter in his direction. Autumn watched Vaughn pull his knife from the strap on his pack and slice the rope, giving her a look to prepare to defend herself. Quickly the two pulled out wood-bullet loaded guns and moved to the side as if to remained hidden in the shadows. Damon slowly released himself from the ropes and then began to stalk to the two, threatening them as Vaughn made a comment that only made the vampire more angered. Autumn couldn't help but feel a little guilty as she watched Damon's face turn serious when he spoke of the girl he loved. Her eyes shot towards the entrance as a blonde woman walked through and looked over the scene, eyes traveling from Damon to the humans. Vaughn and herded Autumn across the room and stood protectively in front of her as they kept their distance from the two vampires. Vaughn immediately recognized the blonde to be Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the Original's. Autumn stood off to the side, gun aimed and ready to help Vaughn if he needed her.

"You know he can't hurt me Damon," Rebekah boasted with confidence as she stalked forwards, "Not unless he's got the white oak stake. And the girl, she looks harmless enough."

"Oh he doesn't," Vaughn never ceased with his aim, "But he's got other toys."

Vaughn quickly fired several rounds into the Original as she darted forward, only to have a stake explosive embedded into her chest. She glanced down at it with a panicked look while Vaughn shot her a mocking glance before pulling the string attached to the pin and watched as she instantly dropped to the ground when the wood pieces pierced her torso. Damon took the opportunity to dash behind the two and grabbed Autumn from behind. He smirked thinking his plan would work, when Autumn slammed her head back against Damon's face and elbowed him hard in the ribs. The immortal foolishly released her as she darted away from him just in time to have Vaughn block his attack. With yet another blow to his head, this time delivered by Vaughn, Damon stumbled back against a wooden beam and was soon laced to the beam with a bolas to the neck.

"You okay?" Vaughn looked at Autumn and quickly scanned her body with his eyes to see if she had any injuries.

She nodded and smiled small, "Yeah. Thanks for the help."

Vaughn went to reply when voices headed in their direction caught his attention. He motioned for her to follow and soon grabbed her and held her securely to his chest as he lept to the rope and gripped tightly as they scaled down into the main shaft of the cave. When the two landed, Vaughn released the girl and looked around. Autumn's eyes soon fell on an injured man who sat off to the side near the entrance to a passage way. She tugged Vaughn's sleeve gently to draw his attention to her, quickly motioning to the man.

"Do you know who he is?" She looked back at Vaughn who promptly shook his head.

Vaughn immediately grasped her hand and pulled her towards the tunnel, "We haven't got time to help him. Come on."

Autumn followed Vaughn without hesitation, sparing the man one last glance with a frown. She could feel the strangers eyes on them but he made no protest as the two passed by. Vaughn helped Autumn slip in through the small opening and then lead her deeper into the tunnel. She could feel from the grip he had on her hand that he was a tense ball of nerves.

"Are you nervous about this?"

Vaughn grunted, "No. I just want this over with so I can get you off the island."

"I see," Autumn's cheek flushed at the comment.

The two went through a few twists and turns until they heard a pair of voices coming from a chamber up a head of them. Autumn slipped her hand from Vaughn's and immediately replaced it with her gun, readying herself for whatever was about to happen. She followed the hunter cautiously as two figures came into view. A woman and a younger boy beating a rock against what looked like a statue of a man. _That must be Silas_, she thought. Vaughn glanced back at her and motioned for her to stand back as he silently crept forward, positioning himself behind the woman.

"Come on!" The boy slammed the rock continuously against the arm of the stone creature, his voice laced with frustration.

The girl sighed, "There has to be a way to do this without raising him!"

The boy paused and gave a frustrated groan before slamming the rock down yet again. The girl began to speak again before being impaled by Vaughn's knife, making Autumn's eyes widen in fear. She gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth to keep from yelling at her handsome partner. The girl loudly gasped in pain as Vaughn carelessly pushed her to the side, her body falling to the ground with a loud thud. It took all of Autumn's will-power not to urgently rush over to the girl to help her, and also to bite back the nasty comment she had for Vaughn at that moment.

"Don't listen to the witch, boy," Vaughn stepped forward to fully face the boy, "We have to raise Silas, and we have to do it now."

"Bonnie!" The boy rushed forward ot his friend in attempts to help her. His attention was immediately drawn to Autumn as she cautiously walked forward, her hands held up in a non-threatening way. She would avoid a fight if she could, knowing the situation was already extremely tense.

The boy gave her a stern look before turning around to look at Vaughn. Autumn dropped down beside the witch and moved her into a more comfortable position, muttering apologies so only she could hear. Tears threatened to spill over the rims of her eyes while she watched Bonnie continuously suck in harsh and ragged breaths. In the years that Autumn trained to kill vampires, never once had she considered killing a human, or even a witch for that matter.

"What are you doing?!"

Autumn looked up at the boy as he stood frozen, watching Vaughn as he sliced his palm open to hold over the stone-like creatures mouth.

"What you should have done already!" Vaughn never turned to look back as he clenched his fist to allow the blood to flow freely from the wound, "I'm gonna raise Silas, and then I'm gonna kill him."

The boy lunged forward and grabbed onto Vaughn, furiously attacking him in a blind rage. Vaughn was easily able to avoid the better half of the boys attacks and quickly grabbed him putting him in a head lock, "You're right confused Mr. Gilbert, we're on the same team!"

The Gilbert shot Vaughn a nasty blow to the ribs with his elbow and managed to turn the tables quickly, "You stabbed my friend!"

The two exchanged more words as the young boy attacked Vaughn once again. Autumn watched in horror as the two beat on one another until Vaughn finally slammed the boy into the ground, standing back to stare down at him.

"What else would you use the cure for?" Vaughn reached over and grabbed his knife, "You're friends. Your sister."

Autumn frowned at the honesty and seriousness of Vaughn's words. Immediately she realized that this witch and the boy were a couple of the friends Damon was speaking of. Another small wave of guilt washed over her.

She watched as Vaughn walked to the boy, his breath still ragged and deep from the fight, "Sorry lad, but it's not meant for you to use," He paused to stare down at the boy with his knife brandished, "Nothing personal."

Before Autumn could cry out in objection at the idea of Vaughn using the boy as a sacrifice to wake up Silas, a vampire whisked passed her and grabbed onto his hair roughly pulling his head back. She growled and went to bite his neck when the boy reminded her of the hunters curse. Without a word she forcefully tossed Vaughn to the side. Autumn watched in horror as he slammed against the pedestal Silas lay on, his body falling limp to the side. She gave Bonnie one last look of sympathy before rushing over to his side, ignoring the threat of the female vampire who made her appearance.

"You alright?" The girl asked.

The boy sighed and nodded, "Yeah. It's Bonnie though. That man stabbed her."

Out of the corner of Autumn's eye she could see the boy rush to Bonnie's side. He muttered to her how the female vampire called Elena who Autumn finally recognized to be the Petrova doppelganger was there, and how she was going to help. She watched as the two argued until Elena gave an agitated sigh, muttering a rude comment on the boy known as Jeremy.

Autumn cradled Vaughn's head tenderly in her lap and remained silent as she watched the vampire sacrifice Jeremy to Silas. Her eyes widened as she threw his head back to bite his neck and then slam him down onto Silas' mouth, the creatures hand almost instantly swinging up to latch onto Jeremy's neck. Now revealed as Katherine, Autumn watched her grab the cure and speed out of the chamber. Her gaze moved back to Jeremy in time to watch as Silas held him up by the neck, snapping his head sharply to the side killing him instantly.

The last thing she remembered was watching Jeremy's limp body falling to the ground before everything went black.

* * *

**So I managed to type a shit ton to the chapter, but I wanted to get the whole major hunt for the cure over and done with. Cuz who wants to relieve all of that in several chapters? NOT THIS GIRL. :)**

**I might skip over the majority of when Rebekah and Damon capture and interrogate Vaughn just for the storyline's sake and all, as I decided to mix a bit of my own ideas into the fic. Like I said at the top, please leave me your thoughts and comments on making this a higher rating for more mature scenes. I WILL NOT type out a full sex scene unless I really feel like it (as I have done many smut fics before, not saying they were any good though xD) but I have no quams about going into details leading up to smex. ;)**

**Also, I just wanna apologize in advance if there's any mistakes. I kind of whipped this up within a couple of hours, so it's probably not going to be one of my best chapters, but it'll suit the purpose. :D**

**Anywho, comment and review, all that amazing stuff you awesome peepulars do! Remember, I want opinions on the rating change in those comments! ^_^**


	6. Safe At Last

**Hello guys! I've decided to try and shoot out AT LEAST three more chapters before I have to take a minor hiatus due to the fact my mom and I are moving, and I won't be able to update for probably a week, maybe even longer (the internet people I have a fucking idiots, enough said). So I'll make a goal to have this reach at least chapter 8 or 9. I don't know how long this fic will be before I end it off, but I'm going to see how much I can with what I have. :D**

**Also I decided to incorporate a little bit of an intimate scene just for some fun reading. ;)**

* * *

Autumn slowly felt her senses coming back to life as her eyes opened, giving her the chance to take in her surroundings. She found that she was still in the crypt, laying in the very spot where she'd mysteriously lost consciousness. Realization suddenly hit her when she looked around to see Vaughn and that Gilbert boy Jeremy were no longer in the same spot as her. It also hit her that Silas, the being Vaughn was here to kill, was missing as well. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet ignoring the loud protests her head was giving her and shook off the nausea and dizziness, immediately rushing over to her pack. When Autumn geared herself back up she gave the pedestal Silas once lay on one last look before rushing out to the maze of tunnels connected to the chamber.

"Vaughn..." She muttered to herself, feeling a welding sensation in the pit of her stomach at the thought of him being hurt or possibly dead. She could already feel the anxiety and fret boiling in her system, making it hard for her to keep concentrated on her immediate task.

As she made her way through the tunnels she mentally cursed herself for not paying as close attention when Vaughn navigated them through, having made it look so easy. Suddenly her thoughts were snapped back to reality when a loud voice boomed through the many corridors, ripping her attention to the left passage.

"You've all brought this upon yourselves! May you rot in it!"

Autumn's stomach flipped at the sound of that all too familiar Scottish accent that she'd come to adore so much. Her feet acted on their own as she dashed to the left, following the echo of his voice in hopes that she would reach the end and see him, not a dead end. In a matter of minutes Autumn found herself at the opening to the passage she was in and stumbled forward falling onto a large chunk of stone. She grunted and pushed herself up, the racing of her heart and the adrenaline pumping through her veins making it impossible for her to sit still. She was in such a rush to see Vaughn's face again that she hadn't noticed her ankle had sprained and was now swollen and bruised.

"Vaughn!" Autumn pulled herself through the opening and looked around. The rope that she and Vaughn had used to descend down into the chamber was the key factor to her observation and was all she needed to confirm her location.

"Autumn?" Vaughn looked over at her and his eyes went wide, "You're okay?"

Autumn's head sharply snapped in his direction, "Vaughn! Thank God!"

She hurriedly made her way over to the hunter and dropped beside him, her arms flinging around him as she carelessly began to sob into the crook of his neck. All the panic and worry that had been kept inside in her attempts to keep a level head during her escape from Silas' chamber was now flowing freely. The hunter froze in place as a warm feeling overwhelmed his body. Never once had a person worried so much about his well being, and with all of these feelings coming from the girl he become so attached to it made this situation all the more better. At that moment he immediately he felt unworthy, knowing deep down he didn't deserve someone like her.

"Shh," Vaughn frowned and gave a quick kiss to the side of her head as means of reassurance, "I'm alright lass, try and calm yourself down." He remained still and allowed the girl to rid herself of the pent up distress.

After a moment Autumn pulled away slowly and drew in a few deep, steady breaths to help relax herself. Only when she looked into Vaughn's eyes did her body seem to drop all anxious feelings and reach it's plateau of calm. Without a word Autumn shrugged her pack off her shoulders and dug through it for both the small medical kit Vaughn had packed for his trip and for the pocket knife she had discovered a day or two ago.

Vaughn watched her carefully and obeyed when she asked him to lean his head to the side so she could administer first aid. She was gentle when cleaning his neck wound and when satisfied she readied a large gauze patch and soon placed it over the cut.

"It's not much, but that should keep if from getting infected," She offered him a small smile, which he gladly returned.

Without another word Autumn quickly released the binds on him and watched as he stretched his arms. He thanked her several times over before standing up and going to his pack. Her eyes locked on the mask that lay a mere two feet from his bag, "Isn't that..."

"Ay, it is," He quickly put it back into the spot where Rebekah had pulled it from and closed the top of his pack, "Lets go. We need to make it across the island before dark."

Autumn nodded slowly and got up. The minute she took a step forward and placed weight onto her injured ankle she forced her hand to her mouth to muffle her cry in pain as she fell forward in a heap. Vaughn rushed to her and managed to catch her before her body slammed down onto the ground, eyes scanning all over her body to find the cause of her sudden bout of pain.

He helped her down onto the tomb floor and sat beside her, "Where does it hurt?"

"My ankle," She winced and reached down to pull her pant-leg up, ignoring the burning sensation that followed with the pull of the fabric on the sensitive skin. She looked at the condition she was in and sighed deeply, "Damn it."

Vaughn gave a short chuckle before digging into her pack for the kit again, producing two wraps and cold pack, "No worries." He could tell she was angry with herself due to the pressing situation for them having to leave the island, but he found that he couldn't bring himself to be cross with her.

Autumn watched carefully as he handled her injured ankle as gently as possible. She tried her best to bite back the grunts of pain when he began to secure the cold pack in place, inhaling sharply at the tightness of the wrap. He would give her a sympathetic look and apologize for causing her discomfort, making her smile small at his thoughtfulness and tell him that it was okay. Once he was finished he let her rest for a few minutes before helping her to her feet. He looked around and spotted a trekking pole that was close to the spot where that man they'd passed by was and picked it up bringing it to Autumn, instructing her to use it for balance. It wasn't much, but this way she didn't have to stand on one foot the entire time. Autumn took the pole from him and nodded.

She watched as he gave the rope a few heavy tugs before pulling the end of up and knotting a loop for Autumn to put her good foot in. Vaughn made sure to test the rig as much as he could before turning to face Autumn.

"Alright, I'm going to go up first," He looked at her, "And when I tell you, step into loop and I'll pull you up."

"Okay," She carefully made her way over to him and watched as he began to haul himself up.

It took Vaughn no time at all to climb his way back up through the opening and quickly placed himself back onto solid ground. He gave the room a quick look-around and then hollered down for Autumn to get ready. He tinkered with the pulley a little and readied it, waiting for her to give the okay. Once he finally had Autumn out of the cave he settled her down on the edge and gave her forehead a quick peck.

"I'll go check to see if it's still light outside," He said softly, "Stay here and don't get up, ay?"

"I won't," She looked up at him and gave a small smile. He could tell from her features and the way her eyes dropped that she was getting tired.

Vaughn whisked out of the cave leaving Autumn in the artificial light of the lanterns rested on all the support beams. She looked around to preoccupy herself in Vaughn's absence, remembering their confrontation earlier that day with the Original and Damon. When she could hear his footsteps headed back towards her she looked forward. She smiled at the sight of him, but her lips soon curved into a frown at the sight of his unhappy face. She noticed he carried a large amount of wood in his arms, confirming that they were staying put for a while.

"We'll be staying here for the night," He muttered and dropped his pack off to the side, "At least you'll have time to rest that ankle of yours." Autumn's cheek flushed as he winked at her. She watched as he set up a small fire pit and readied something for the two to eat.

Later after the two had eaten, Vaughn moved so he was beside her. He took her hand in his, "Can I ask you something, Autumn?"

"Anything."

Vaughn's brows knit together, "When we first met, you never told me you had a brother."

"I couldn't remember him," Autumn stated with a sad sigh, "Anything that had to do with the supernatural, it was like my memory had been completely wiped. You have no idea how frustrating it is, not knowing how or why it happened."

Vaughn looked at her and studied her face. She looked distraught and her brows were furrowed, "You said he was one of the Five like me, eh?"

"Yeah," Autumn paused for a moment, "He was working with a man named Connor Jordan. My brother met Connor through a friend that was apparently in Iraq with him."

Vaughn nodded slowly and took in every word she spoke, "What was his name? Your brother, I mean."

"Jared."

Vaughn picked up on the lack of emotion in her voice as her brothers name rolled off her tongue. Releasing her hand, he put his arm around her and held her comfortably against him. She accepted his gesture and laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment.

"After everything you're still being so nice to me," Autumn murmured softly, "I don't deserve to be around someone like you."

Those words repeated in Vaughn's mind several times before he rested his head against hers, "I could say the same thing in regards to you too, lass."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you everything when we first met."

"It's alright," Vaughn gripped her hand gently, "There's no need to apologize."

The two remained in silence for what seemed like hours before Vaughn spoke once again, "You should get some sleep."

Autumn went to protest but was cut off when Vaughn stood up and prepared the sleeping bag for her like he'd done every night since their meeting. She watched him and slowly got up, using the pole to help her balance offered Vaughn a soft smile. He returned her smile with a sly grin as he walked over and quickly scooped her up in his arms, insisting that he settle her down on the 'bed', reminding her of their wager from the day before. Autumn would protest and wriggle to get out of his grip but his arms kept her locked in place.

"You know," Vaughn's voice was laced with amusement, "You look awful good in my arms."

Autumn's cheeks tinted a light pink color as she grinned, "Well, at least you're honest."

"Mm," He agreed and walked over to the sleeping bag, lowering her down and tucked her in just as he promised he would after losing the bet.

Autumn looked up at him and frowned slightly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Vaughn kneeled down beside her, a penetrating gaze boring into her soul.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "When we get off this island... Will we be going our separate ways?"

"No," Vaughn stated honestly, "If you want the truth, I don't want to walk out of your life unless you want me to."

Autumn sat up and smiled, "I don't want you to."

Vaughn leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek. Autumn sighed into the kiss, enjoying the warmth of his body so close to hers. She reached up and allowed her fingers to run through his short hair, her body going limp in his arms as he slowly lowered her back down against the sleeping bag. He pulled away long enough to look into her eyes as she gave him a cute look and continued to smile up at him. Vaughn returned her smile and leaned down to claim her lips once more, only this time more desperate and hungry. Her fingers locked around his neck and pulled him closer to her, the feeling of want and desire radiating off his body like heat waves. His hands carelessly roamed her body sending goosebumps trailing on every inch of her skin. She sighed softly, enjoying the gentle touches he gave as he continued to kiss her lips with such an intense passion.

It felt incredible for her to experience this, never having met someone to share such an intimate moment with.

As Vaughn pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers, "Should I apologize for being so forward?"

"Not at all," Autumn giggled.

They remained in each others arms for what seemed like hours until Autumn's soft breathing could be heard through the quiet cave. Vaughn smiled to himself and held her closer to his body, allowing himself for the first time since their meeting to fully relax and drift off and join his Autumn in a peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Vaughn, I can help row you know!" Autumn protested as Vaughn continued to row the ores from the boat he'd had concealed on the opposite side of the island from the caves, "I might have hurt my ankle but that doesn't mean my arms are completely useless. I can help!"

Vaughn grinned, "Now why would I make my pretty young lady friend do all the work, when I'm more then capable of doing it myself?"

"Men," Autumn muttered to herself, crossing her arms in a huff, "So does that mean you're going to continuing rowing the _entire _way back to the mainland? Let me row while you see if you can fix that stupid motor thing."

"Fine," Vaughn rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, "You row, while I see if I can fix this piece of shit motor here and get us home faster."

"That's what I just said!"

"I know, but it sounds better coming from my mouth."

"Jerk!"

"Do you know how sexy that name is beginning to sound?"

Autumn protested as her cheeks heat up. Vaughn gave her a triumphant smirk and held out the ores to her, which she tugged out of his hands roughly as if to prove a point. He chuckled and shifted so he was facing the motor, popping the cover off to see what he could do.

It had been almost four hours since the two had woken up, eaten, and then readied themselves for the trek to the shore where Vaughn had hidden his boat. Before they left the caves he made sure to thoroughly check Autumn's ankle to see if she was able to walk on it, and when he made sure she was fine, they immediately left and headed to their final destination. Getting the boat out to the water was easy enough, and in minutes they were on the open water before something else drew them back onto the island. Autumn had spared one last glance in remembrance of her friends who had lost their lives there, uttering a silent prayer for them before turning away. She didn't have the heart to watch the island shrink into the distance as they neared the mainland.

Vaughn studied the girl in front of him before turning back to the motor in attempts to get it working again. After ten minutes and several tugs on the chord later, the propeller came back to life and whisked them through the open waters with ease. Autumn had pulled the wooden ores back into the boat and looked forward as they continued to sail through the water. She couldn't help but smile and close her eyes, taking in the cool breeze that brushed her hair from her face and danced over her skin with a chilly touch.

"You said you live in a small town in Virgina, right?" Autumn looked back at Vaughn and nodded, "You wouldn't be talking about Mystic Falls, now would you?"

"Yes, how'd you know?"

"Had a hunch."

"So are you from Scotland?" Autumn continued to look at him as he steered the boat.

Vaughn chuckled, "Originally, but I relocated after my parents death and have been traveling all over the place ever since. I don't really have a place to call home."

"Well then," Autumn grinned, "Guess that means you'll have to stay with me for a while. No arguing, either!"

He returned her grin with his own playful one, "Damn, and I was just about to say no."

"Hey," Autumn pouted, deciding to play along with his game, "If you're not going to stay with me, then who's going to tuck me in at night?"

Vaughn chuckled, "Well, I'll just have to make a special trip over to make sure the princess is safe and sound in her bed." Autumn giggled and sat back with a smile, continuing to enjoy the breeze.

Eventually they ended up at the mainland and made their way to the cars that Autumn and her friends had parked somewhere before their trip to the island. Vaughn made her sit in the passengers seat and packed everything in the trunk before hoping into the drivers seat. He looked over her to see she was deep in thought. He observed her for a moment before turning the car on and began driving towards the boarder. For most of the car ride, Autumn just stared silently out the window. Vaughn worried about her state of mind and how she would react when her friends parents would question why she had returned alone. He couldn't even begin to fathom how she would respond to such inquiries. His brows furrowed as he sat back and gave a silent sigh, his thoughts wondering to what they would be getting into when they arrived in Mystic Falls.

* * *

**Yay! They're off the island! :)**

**So yeah, like I stated before, I'm going to try and post as many chapters as I can before I have to take a small hiatus due to moving and such.**

**Comment/review and such. Next chapter will most likely be out... Tomorrow if not Monday. :)**


	7. Predicaments

**So here's the next chapter! :D**

**Hopefully this one doesn't disappoint. I will say though, I honestly expect one person to be like, "ffs BORING CHAPTER MUCH". LOOL **

**I promise, it wasn't my intention to type up a boring chapter, but this had to be done! **

* * *

"I guess mom's not home," Autumn got out of the car once Vaughn parked and fished for her keys in the jacket she had worn on the trip to the island, "She must have gone out to do groceries or something. The garage usually isn't closed when she's home."

"She won't mind me staying here?" Vaughn popped the trunk and walked back to get the bags, "I mean, I'm still technically a stranger."

"Pah, you'll be fine!" She smiled bright, "She'll honestly love to meet you. Mom's always telling me I need to go out and meet someone nice. And just so you know, rescuing me from a bunch of natives and vampires is considered being nice."

"I suppose," Vaughn pocketed the keys to the vehicle and met her at the door with a sly grin, "But, I still think you've got the wrong guy," Autumn cast him a confused glance, "You know, seeing as how I'm a jerk and all."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Not just yet."

Autumn rolled her eyes with a smile and opened the door to the house, "The dogs are probably outside so you'll be able to settle yourself in without getting bulldozed over."

Vaughn nodded and walked in behind her. The house itself was very spacious and big on the inside, having seemed very tiny and compact on the outside. There were no carpets to be found, and all the furniture was a neutral color and set in a particular order. Vaughn quickly made a mental note that Autumn's mother must enjoy balance. The minor amounts of decorations that occupied small spaces to give the room a little more of a homey feeling were also precisely placed, making the hunter a little nervous to explore in fear of touching something or putting it out of order.

"You look nervous," Autumn quickly kicked her shoes off before setting them on a small shelf where other shoes were placed, "Mom won't bite your head off if you touch something if that's what's bothering you."

Vaughn looked down at her and cracked a smile, "You sure?"

"No worries," She smiled and rubbed his upper arm soothingly before taking the pack she'd carried for the better half of her time with Vaughn to her room, "Just put your shoes on the shelf and follow me."

Vaughn did as he was told and soon followed her with his bag, looking around when he entered her room. Unlike what he saw in the living room, her room had a very classy feel to it. The scheme to her room displayed beige and brown hues, but what caught Vaughn's attention most was the fact her bedding matched nothing else in her room. The bedding was a mixture of earthy greens and electric blues, giving an added uniqueness to the room.

"Do you like it?" Autumn turned to him with a smile.

Vaughn nodded and continued to study the room, "Ay."

She took the pack from him and set it down in the corner of her room, "Would it make you uncomfortable to wear some of Jared's clothing? At least until I can get everything you had with you washed?"

"No," Vaughn looked over at her and watched as she pulled her closet door open, reaching for a large black box. When she pulled the top off he noticed it was full of clothing, "You kept some of your brothers clothing?"

"Yeah," She held up one of Jared's favorite shirts and smiled softly as a memory that crossed her mind, "Mom and I picked through most of his things when died. Everything she and I agreed to keep are in this box," She glanced over at him and let her eyes rake over his body shamelessly, "He was a little buffer then you, so you'll have to deal with baggy clothing for a while."

Autumn continued to pick through the clothing in the bin until she found a pair of sweat pants that she figured would fit Vaughn if he adjusted the strings. Once she had everything he would need she walked over to him and handed him the neatly folded pile of clothing and then placed two bottles and a pair of socks at the very top. When he looked down at everything he noticed it was a bottle of mens body wash and shampoo.

"Didn't think you'd want to shower with a bunch of woman body washes," Autumn winked.

Vaughn chuckled, "Thanks."

"Bathroom's just across the hall. And honestly, don't be afraid to make yourself at home!"

With a smile, he turned for the door before stopping. He looked over his shoulder to see her digging in her dresser for a change of clothing, "You know," When Autumn looked at him her gave a sly grin, "You could join me."

Autumn's face flushed a deep shade of crimson, "What? No!"

He dashed out the door laughing as she threw several pairs of socks in his direction yelling at how perverted he was being, her face now red with embarrassment.

"JERK!"

"Don't lie, you love it!"

Autumn made no response against his last comment and sighed when she heard the door to the bathroom close. She continued to dig through her clothing until she was satisfied with a pair of matching sweat pants and tank top, and then grabbed a change of undergarments. About ten minutes later Vaughn appeared in her room again, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothing.

"Done," He leaned against the door frame and watched her.

She stuck her tongue out, "Took you long enough."

Vaughn simply grinned at her comment and pushed off the frame to walk over to her, "Would have been easier for you to join me, lass," He leaned down claiming her lips in a gentle kiss, "Would have saved some time."

"Mm," She kissed back and then pushed at his chest softly, "Maybe next time."

Before Vaughn could circle his arms around her she dashed away and closed the bathroom door quickly to avoid him chasing after her, leaning back against the door as she stifled a giggle. Autumn suddenly looked around and took a moment to appreciate how much she'd missed her bathroom and sighed contently, walking over to the vanity to set her clean clothing down.

"Shower," She grinned, "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Stripping down quickly she turned the water on to her preferred temperature and hopped in, enjoying the feeling of the water beating down on her filthy skin. A content sigh immediately escaped her lips as she cleansed herself of all the dirt and grime from the island, letting the water wash away the memories of having only a limited amount of remotely warm water to somewhat bathe in during her stay. About twenty minutes later and fully satisfied that she'd successfully scrubbed every trace of dirt off her skin and out of her hair, she got out and dried off. She cast a glance at the door, wondering what Vaughn was up to the entire time she had been in the shower.

After dressing quickly she walked out of the bathroom with the laundry basket now full of their dirty clothing and peaked around, "Vaughn?"

"Yeah?" He came into view and looked at her.

"Come on," She smiled, "I'll give you a tour of the house."

He walked over to her and followed her around everywhere, taking in all the details he could of her home. He would pay special attention to all the framed photographs on the walls, memorizing her mothers face. They had a strong resemblance, making it hard for anyone to mistake them as anything but family.

When the two made it to the kitchen Autumn immediately began preparing a meal, "What's something you really like?"

"Anything," Vaughn walked over to see if he could be of assistance, "I'm not picky."

Autumn smiled and continued to put a few things together when their attention was drawn to the front door. She felt Vaughn suddenly tense and gently grasped his hand, giving it a light squeeze. Vaughn glanced down at her as she motioned for him to lean closer, which he did.

"I'm just giving you a heads up," She whispered so only he would hear, "Mom knows about vampires and such, but she chooses not to accept it. If she asks questions, just answer her honestly. She doesn't like or want anything to do with the supernatural, but she will respect your honesty and won't judge you for being a hunter like Jared was."

Vaughn nodded slowly and gripped her hand gently, "Ay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Honey," A woman's voice spoke out and drew their attention to her whereabouts, "You're home early."

Vaughn watched as Autumn's mother walked into the kitchen. She was focused on something in her purse and continued to dig through it, never noticing Vaughn standing beside her daughter.

"How was your trip?"

Autumn smiled small, "Well, it was interesting..."

Her mother looked up and blinked finally noticing Vaughn, "Who's this?"

"He's my boyfriend," Autumn stated without hesitation or shame and grinned as her mothers face lit up.

Vaughn walked over and extended his hand for her, "My name is Galen Vaughn, but please, just call me Vaughn."

"It's nice to meet you," Autumn giggled at the happiness spread over her mothers face, "Azure Darcy." The two exchanged smiles and then looked back at Autumn, "Where's Talia? I thought she would spending the night after you all got back?"

Autumn's face fell at the comment as Vaughn looked at Azure, "They're still on the island."

Azure looked from Autumn to Vaughn and frowned, "Why? What happened?"

"Mom," Autumn sighed, "You might want to sit down for this..."

She glanced at the two once more before sitting down at the kitchen table, "What happened?" She repeated softly, a mixture of emotions flooding her eyes.

Autumn walked over and sat in front of her, revealing all the happenings that took place on the island. She explained how Vaughn saved her from the natives and kept her safe and alive during her stay, having protected her from everything and anything that would potentially harmed her. When Autumn was finished with her part of the story, Vaughn added in all the missing pieces and explained to Azure his business for being on the island and answered any of her questions. By the time both were finished speaking, the woman looked down at the kitchen table deep in thought.

"What are we going to tell their parents?" Azure sighed and held her head.

Autumn frowned, "I don't know, mom... But I'll figure something out."

There was a brief moment of silence before Azure drew in a deep breath.

"Thank you," Azure breathed out slowly looking up at Vaughn with glassy eyes, "Thank you for protecting my baby girl."

Vaughn gave her a reassuring smile and watched as she stood up and crossed the distance, pulling her daughter up from her chair and into a tight embrace. He felt out of place watching the two cry onto each others shoulders and murmur how much they'd missed one another. Azure suddenly pulled away from Autumn and drew Vaughn in for a tight hug, thanking him several times for bringing Autumn back to her. Then hunter hugged back, returning the smile Autumn was giving him from a few feet away.

"Alright, no more tears," Azure pulled away and went for a kleenex, "Put all of that away. I'm ordering take out to celebrate your return."

Autumn nodded and did as she was told while her mother called for their meals. Vaughn walked over and kissed the side of Autumn's head, "You okay?"

"Yeah," She smiled up at him, "I'm fine."

Azure walked back into the kitchen and looked at the two, "Will you be staying here for a while then, Vaughn?"

"Only if I'm welcome," He stated honestly.

She smiled, "Such a polite man. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

He thanked her greatly and returned her smile.

"I would just like to make a request."

Autumn looked at her mother as Vaughn nodded, "Of course?"

"I don't want any weapons in this house," She stated clearly, "I didn't permit anything that had to do with vampires in this house when Jared was alive, and I certainly won't be making an exception now. Anything you have that has to do with hunting those creatures can be kept in the garage with everything Jared had already gathered."

"Understood," Vaughn could hear in her tone that there was no room for argument, not that he would step out of line when these people opened their home to him.

Azure smiled, "Other then that, I have no problem with you staying."

* * *

After dinner was finished, Autumn took Vaughn out for a walk in the neighborhood. The two enjoyed the night, basking in the glory of not having to look out for dangerous natives or any other threat that would have appeared on the island. The two continued to walk until they spotted a dark up a head.

Vaughn's eyes narrowed, "I was wondering when we'd run into him."

"Who?" Autumn looked from Vaughn to the figure up a head, "I can't see his face."

His grip on her hand tightened, "Come on, lets go the other way."

Autumn nodded slowly and followed him as he lead her away from the group of people up a head of them, "Are you going to tell me who you saw?"

"Damon."

"Oh," She frowned and glanced back, "Well, thank you for not wanting to get into a confrontation with him."

Vaughn gave her a tiny smile, "You're welcome, lass."

They walked down the next set of side streets until the two were almost back to the house, when Damon appeared in front of them. He was wearing his signature grin, his eyes a mixture of amusement and displeasure.

The vampire looked from Vaughn to Autumn and took a step forward, "Nice to see you two made it off that God forsaken island. I was beginning to worry about you kids."

"Screw off, Salvatore," Autumn narrowed her eyes.

Damon smirked, "Vaughn, you should teach your lady to have some manners."

Without fear of anyone seeing them, Vaughn released Autumn's hand and drew a unique looking gun that he had kept hidden somewhere on his person, aiming it at Damon, "Walk away Damon."

"Oh, wow! I'm so scared of Vaughn the Hunter!" Damon gasped and held his hands up in his little bout of theatrics, "Look Vaughn, it's not going to work. Besides, I actually didn't come to start a fight."

"Then why are you here?" Vaughn narrowed his eyes and took a step in front of Autumn, taking a protective stance.

Damon grinned as he watched the hunter, "You know, it's cute how you think you can protect her."

"I'm not going to ask again," Vaughn's blue eyes narrowed at the vampire in front of him, "Why are you here?"

Vaughn turned around sharply at the sound of Autumn's muffled scream and watched as Rebekah forced the girl to drink her blood before snapping her neck, discarding the girl off to the side like a bag of bones. Vaughn froze in place as he watched the scene unfold, staring at Autumn's lifeless body when she hit the ground.

Rebekah stepped forward and smiled at Vaughn, "Consider us even for that explosive to my chest."

Vaughn gave her a nasty look and then turned to Damon when Rebekah vanished from the scene. He rushed over to Autumn's body and reached down touching her cheek gently, releasing a deep sigh to calm himself down before standing back up. The Salvatore watched with an amused grin, drawing his hands out of his pockets to hold them up as a sign of peace.

"Now I have to say, I'm as shocked as you are for that."

"Bullshit," Vaughn aimed the gun yet again.

"I'm telling the truth Vaughn," Damon gave him a look, "I have no control over what vampire Barbie does. Besides, I have my own reasons for being here. We need your help."

The hunter narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Fancy was of asking for it."

"We need you to help us track down Silas," Damon took a step towards Vaughn, "He's here in Mystic Falls, and since you're the only one of the hunters left, it would probably be best if you do the killing."

"So you've finally realized how big the mistake you made was," Vaughn spat, "Why should I help you after the part you had to play on the island after your former lover awakened Silas?"

The hunter and vampire stared at each other for what seemed like ages until Damon sighed in agitation, "If I can get the cure from Katherine, will you help us?"

Vaughn continued to stare at the vampire with a hard look when both their attention was drawn to Autumn. She shot up with a loud gasp and looked around completely disoriented. Choosing to ignore the Salvatore, Vaughn rushed to her side and kneeled down beside her. She looked at him with huge, terrified eyes and gripped his shirt becoming teary eyed.

"What did she do to me?" Autumn whimpered and pushed her face into Vaughn's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and held her as she sobbed, knowing there was nothing her could do or say to comfort her at this moment.

Damon walked over and kept his distance from the two, "Sorry to be the bearer of dab news but, you know she has to feed or she'll die."

"I'm aware," Vaughn's jaw clenched and his body tensed at the thought of his Autumn being one of the things he spent his life hunting down to kill. He drew in a deep breath before reaching into his vest pocket to pull out a small pocket knife.

"How sweet, you're going to give her your blood. Here, let me help speed up the process," Damon's eyes rolled as he reached down and roughly yanked Vaughn's arm up, biting his wrist faster then the hunter could react, "There. Bottom's up, sweet heart."

Autumn looked up at Damon and glared, yelling at him to leave her alone when she froze, her eyes landing on Vaughn's bleeding wrist. She could feel her throat burn and constrict with hunger, her body compelling her to give in and complete the transition. Slowly she reached for his hand and pulled it closer to her, bringing his wrist to her mouth and pressed her lips to his blood-soaked skin.

* * *

**So there you have it folks! Second update in a day or so. ;D**

**I decided to spare the details of her transforming, not because I didn't want to, but because I was lazy. Either way, I'm hoping that it caught at least one person off. Also I'd like to apologize if the beginning of the chapter was SUPER boring! I wasn't aiming for that, but I felt the need to introduce Autumn's mommy. :)**

**Comment/review and all that wonderful stuff! :D**


	8. Give In

**Hello all! :D**

**Thanks to those who commented, it means a lot to me when I sit back and read all the love! I wish I could just give you guys all one big group hug if it wouldn't be awkward as hell, but hey, we're all Vaughn lovers here so no shyness allowed! LOOL :P**

**I'd like to give a special thanks to courtcourtrawrs27 for always commenting almost right after I post a chapter, I just love hearing your feedback, and xXxCrimsonXAshesxXx for the lovely compliment you gave my fic recently! :D**

**And yes, I'm aware I skipped a lot from when Autumn became a vampire up until this point, but I'm pressed for time so BLAH. :Db**

**Also, I'm just giving you guys a heads up, that there will be sexual content in this chapter, and probably at least one more chapter before the end of this. Speaking of which, there's probably only going to be a couple more chapters before I finish this. :D**

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_Autumn slowly walked towards her mother several days after coming home an abomination, not having had the heart to look her in the eye. Azure looked in the direction of her daughter and just stared, as if to be deep in thought. She was thrilled that Vaughn brought her daughter home alive, but she couldn't get over the fact that she technically wasn't. It was hard for the woman to accept the little things now that would never be for her beloved Autumn. She was frozen now. She wouldn't have a normal life anymore, or to complete the goals she had once set out for herself. Azure's heart went out for her daughter, knowing that Autumn wanted children very much, but would never be able to bear now. That would be the one thing she knew her daughter would miss the most, and that in itself made her heart weep with sadness. _

_"Mom," Autumn hesitated, "Are you okay?"_

_Azure pulled her eyes away from her daughter momentarily before looking back at her with a soft smile, "I am, honey."_

_With that being said, Autumn pulled together the last of her courage and walked forward, taking a seat on the empty space beside her mother on the couch. Truth be told, she was ashamed of what she had become. Everything was heightened, making it difficult to maintain a calm persona when approaching these situations. She hadn't even sat down with the hunter who held her heart so dearly, but every time his face popped into her mind, it depressed her knowing she was exactly the creature he detested above all. She had avoided him ever since he brought her home, knowing that the minute she came face-to-face with him, she wouldn't know what to say._

_"Honey," Azure looked at her daughter and gently pulled Autumn's hand into her own, "I understand how these things work, and I want you to know that I'm just happy you came back to me. It doesn't matter that you're a vampire to me. I love you no matter what, Autumn. I want you to know that, okay sweetie?"_

_Autumn looked at her mother stunned and then smiled small feeling the tears build at the rims of her eyes. The acceptance was overwhelming.  
_

_"Thank you, mom."_

_Azure pulled Autumn into a tight embrace before releasing her, not wanting to pressure her while she was still getting used to her heightened sense of smell and cravings for blood. _

_"Have you spoken to him yet?" Azure inquired sadly. She had watched the two for the few days they hadn't spoken, and noticed they were both upset and edgy._

_Autumn looked down at her lap and sighed deeply, "No... I just can't stand the thought of what I look like in his eyes now. He hunts vampires, mom. What if he sees me as an something he needs to kill? I can't bare the thought of knowing his opinion of me now."_

_"I know, honey, but you can't keep avoiding him," Azure placed her hand on Autumn's shoulder gently, "You two need to get things off your chest. Anyone who has sense can see that he cares for you so strongly. I have my doubts that those feelings would diminish because of this."_

_"She's right, lass."_

_Azure and Autumn both looked towards the entrance to the living room to see Vaughn leaning against the wall with his hands in his light-wash denim jeans. He smiled small at Azure as if to ask for permission to have some privacy with Autumn, which she granted, leaving the two to their now awkward silence. Autumn hurriedly searched for something to draw her attention, but no avail she was left to stare back at those blue eyes she loved so much. _

_Vaughn crossed the room slowly and took a seat beside her, inhaling a deep breath before speaking.  
_

_"Autumn," He looked at her and pulled her hand into his own, "I-"_

_"I'm sorry," She couldn't stop herself from blurting out her apology. Vaughn gave her a sympathetic smile and reached over to brush a stray tear that ran down her cheek, "I know you must be disgusted with what I've become but I'm so sorry, I should have seen something like this coming when Damon showed up and-"_

_Autumn was silenced as Vaughn pressed his lips to hers gently before pulling away to shoot her a faint smirk, "Calm down and let me speak, ay?"_

_"Okay..." Autumn watched him and sniffled._

_"I'm one of the Five and it's my duty to kill vampires," Vaughn stated, "But I don't get those urges around you. It's like you haven't changed at all, and the feelings I still have for you have been able to sedate that desire to kill."_

_Autumn smiled small and cupped her hand over his that was pressed against her cheek, keeping silent to allow him the chance to finish speaking._

_"What I'm trying to say is," Vaughn drew in a deep breath, "I love you."_

_Stunned, Autumn sat there frozen in place. Not once had she ever expected such glorious words to ever be uttered from this mans lips. She could tell from the tense look on his face that speaking freely with his emotions was something he had no former practice with, only making this moment that much more beautiful. If her heart was still functioning, it would have skipped several beats with his declaration. _

_"R-really?" She bit her bottom lip to bite back more tears that threatened to build up, mentally cursing herself for the heightened emotions._

_"Ay," He smiled softly and leaned close to her, resting his forehead against hers without a single fear of her losing control, "And it's because I love you, that I will protect you even though you're more the capable of handling things yourself now. I'll always watch out for you, and I will always stay by you until you wish me away."_

_Autumn threw her arms around the hunter and held him tightly, sobbing against his shoulder with such intensity. The anxiety and fright of what could have been said now poured out of her like a waterfall. She was able to breathe again, knowing that the man she was in love with didn't despise her. It felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off her shoulders, making her inescapable acceptance of her new life all the more easier. _

**[Three Weeks Later]**

"You said that it gets easier, right?" Autumn turned to the blonde vampire with a small smile.

Caroline returned Autumn's half-assed smile with her own bright and exuberant one, "It does. Trust me! I was going exactly what you're going through about a year ago. Really and truly, it does get easier."

Autumn nodded and followed Caroline into her room, closing the door behind her. Sheriff Forbes was on duty tonight, and with Tyler having been pushed out of Mystic Falls, Elena having turned into a what the bright vampire called a bitch, and Bonnie being busy with God-knows what, Caroline was a little on the lonely side and had (with some extreme convincing and pestering) convinced Autumn to join her for a sleep over. Caroline tossed the shopping bags they had returned with from a successful trip to the clothing store as Autumn set her gym bag down. The blonde quickly ushered her out of her room and to the kitchen to prepare something to eat, which meant that conversation was inevitable.

"So," Caroline turned to Autumn with a mischievous grin slowly forming, "How has life been with that good looking Scottish boy you've got living with you? Vaughn's his name, right?"

Autumn's cheeks flushed barely and nodded, "Good..."

"Oh come on! That's not a real answer!"

She turned to look at Caroline and sighed, knowing that if she didn't give in Caroline wouldn't let up until she spilled the beans. Autumn watched Caroline as she began to cut up some vegetables to go with the meal she was preparing and bit her bottom lip.

"Okay fine, things have been great. Even though he's one of the Five, he told me he hasn't gotten any urges to kill me and he just... I don't know, it's just like when we were on the island. He still looks out for me and he always wants to be near me." Autumn took in a deep breath before looking away to avoid eye contact, "I was scared of losing him when Damon turned me."

Caroline ceased her chopping and gave Autumn a sympathetic smile, "That's good. It always makes things easier when the ones you love are understanding. My mom had a hard time accepting what I am for the first little while, but things smoothed over with time and patience. When she realized that I was still her little girl, she was able to push her hateful past with vampires aside. It brought us closer, actually."

"My mother didn't seem to care," Autumn laughed lightly at her own words, "She hugged me for almost an hour when Vaughn brought me home. She was just happy that I was alive."

"You're lucky then," Caroline giggled and continued with what she was doing, "Setting the depressive topics aside, I do have a question regarding your relationship."

Autumn looked at Caroline and noticed that grin was back on her face, "What...?"

"Have you had sex with him yet?" Caroline's eyes lit up with anticipation of her answer.

Autumn's mouth flew open and left her momentarily speechless at the sudden question, but once she composed herself she looked away shyly, "Well, uh... no, not really..."

"And why not?" Caroline's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "You're a vampire. It's not like you don't have urges, and don't lie to me because when I was new like you, I couldn't turn the horny-button off."

"CAROLINE!"

"What? It's true! I wanted sex pretty much all the time!"

Autumn held her face in her hands to hide them embarrassment, "I can't believe we're talking about this..."

"It's typical girl talk," Caroline grinned, "Now spill. Why haven't you _explored his body_ yet?"

Autumn stared at Caroline through her fingers and gave her a blank stare for her choice of words. Caroline continued to shoot her a look that held no room for fibbing or pushing the topic aside, so Autumn internally sighed and decided to just give in. She'd come to know the blonde's stubbornness and knew it was just better to give in rather then to fight for a week.

"It's not that I don't want to, because believe me, I do."

"Then whats the problem?"

Autumn sighed, "I don't know if he wants to or not. And... I'm afraid I'll kill him if I accidentally inhale his scent too much and, y'know... lose myself."

"Do you find his blood tempting?" Caroline gave Autumn a serious look.

Autumn shook her head slowly, "No, and I'm kind of glad for that. It was his blood that I drank to complete the transition, but after that, I couldn't stomach the thought of drinking from him again."

"Well then, there's your answer. If you want him bad enough, go for it," Caroline smirked, "All guys like sex, that's just a given fact. If he likes you as much as I know he does, because I've watched him around you and seen the way he looks at you, then he'll be more then willing to do the naughty. Besides, with the urges you've been having, it's a wonder that you haven't ripped his clothing off and done something already."

Autumn blushed and Caroline continued, "You two sleep in the same room together, right?"

"Yes..."

"Same bed?"

"... Yes. Why are you asking?"

"And you haven't exploded yet?"

"Caroline!"

"What! Have you even seen him naked?"

"Well there was this one time I almost- CAROLINE."

"Have you guys showered together yet?"

Autumn groaned, "I don't see how this makes any difference!"

"I'm just curious, that's all. I'm trying to understand why you haven't screwed the nut in yet, that's all."

"Oh God... Caroline! That's gross!"

"Would you rather me say _'have you fucked him yet?'_? Does that make it easier?"

"Please no more questions!" Autumn whined, not wanting to talk about this anymore. The embarrassment was becoming too much for her to handle.

"Alright, alright! Enough talk about sex and your sexy hunter friend," Autumn blanched as Caroline smiled innocently and proceeded to continue with her cooking, "What? I'm not going to lie, he's sexy as hell."

Autumn giggled slightly and nodded, "Agreed. I've just never said it out loud."

"That's what sex is for. All the dirty talk!"

"CAROLINE!" Autumn groaned and held her head, "I thought you said we were done talking about that!"

"I lied," She giggled, "And besides, it's just so much fun to see you get all embarrassed and shy. You need to loosen up!"

Autumn deadpanned, "Seriously... Ugh, you're impossible."

"And that's why you love me!" Caroline giggled and passed Autumn a few things to cut up.

**.o.o.o.**

Autumn released a deep, exasperated breath as she trekked to her bedroom after Caroline dropped her off before heading to the Salvatore's residence. She made sure to give Autumn one last demanding _'you need to have sex with him, and tonight'_ talks before letting her get out of the car, threatening to drive over to pay her a visit later in the evening to check in on how things were progressing.

"You're home early," Vaughn looked up at her as she walked into her room, "I thought Caroline would have kept you over for at least another night."

"Nah," Autumn smiled and kicked the door shut with her foot, "She has a lot of stuff to do tonight, so she told me instead of boring me with serious talk that I could come home. And besides, she's going to the Salvatore boarding house to pay Stefan a visit, and with a high probability Damon is there, I refuse to go anywhere near that place or anywhere near him for that matter."

Vaughn stood up from his spot on the bed and walked towards her, "I see."

Autumn dropped her bags and smiled as his arms circled around her waist, her own lacing around his neck, "Miss me?"

"Of course," He leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle peck, "With your mom gone on her trip, it got pretty boring here last night."

"Mom's gone on a trip?" Autumn's brows knit together, "Since when does she travel?"

Vaughn suddenly smiled innocently, "Well, I was going to call and tell you but, I know better then to interrupt your time spent with Caroline. Lesson learned from the first time you slept over at her house."

"I guess you're right," Autumn giggled and leaned up to brush her lips against his jaw line, "She beat you up pretty bad for that."

"Ay," He let out a deep chuckle, "I'm still bruised, and it's been almost two weeks since then."

She giggled and looked up at Vaughn, allowing herself to get lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes, "She lectured me the other day."

"Oh? What about?" Vaughn's eyebrow rose as he gazed down at his lover, content to just hold her in his arms.

Suddenly Autumn's face heated up, "Uh, well... You know... _Stuff_."

"Like what kind of stuff?"

"Oh you know... Girl talk and all."

"Now you're just brushing off my question. Do you do this to Caroline a lot when she asks you things, too?"

"Oh yes, but she doesn't give up until I break and tell her. It's just easier to give in rather then resist."

"Mm, I kind of like the ring to that. Reminds me of what I was about to do, you know, with the giving in rather then resisting."

"Huh?"

Slowly he leaned in towards her and captured her lips in an eager kiss. Autumn's senses riled up, urging her to pull him closer to her and ravage his mouth with animalistic intent. Letting herself give in, she pulled him down closer, crushing her lips against his with intensity. Vaughn met her kisses with as much urgency, his arms locking her in closer to his body.

In the blink of an eye Autumn had Vaughn pinned against the wall, her hands finding themselves under the fabric of his shirt, running down his torso as if to worship every muscle the tips of her fingers touched. She could feel his skin lift with goosebumps with every gentle touch she gave him and noted the way his breath hitched in his throat. Smiling to herself, she captured his lips in another intense kiss. She could feel his hands roaming around her body making her shudder with excitement. Vaughn suddenly began to push her back towards the bed, their lips never breaking the engaged heated battle for dominance.

Autumn fell back against the mattress with Vaughn on top of her and smiled, letting herself enjoy every new sensation he brought her when she let him take control. Soon enough their clothing was forgotten and left them in just under garments, giving them a chance to really explore one another as they had both done in imagination previous nights before. His hands cascaded down her body in a teasing fashion as he pressed kisses on her neck leading back up to her jaw line. She gently ran her fingers through his short hair, inviting him back to her mouth as his lips crushed against hers once again.

Very slyly, Vaughn slid his hand behind her back and quickly un-clipped her bra, pulling it away from her body to message every inch of her now naked torso. He grinned at his reward as she arched her back, humming in delight at his touches. Kissing his way back down he teased her for a while, pressing his lips down on the sensitive skin between her breasts as he made his way down towards her stomach. His eyes flickered to hers when she let out a soft giggle, an innocent grin soon finding its way on her face.

"You know," Her features suddenly flushed with shyness, "I've been thinking about this for a while now..."

Vaughn locked eyes with her and cupped her cheek gently, "Ay, me too. I just didn't want to seem forward."

"Really?" Autumn smiled and placed her hand over his, simply enjoying how gentle his touch was.

Without another word, Vaughn leaned down and kissed her softly. It wasn't demanding or rough, it was a kiss to show how much she meant to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull his body down closer to hers, loving the feeling of his skin against her own. Once again Vaughn ran one of his hands down her side towards a final destination. Autumn soon shuddered in anticipation, feeling his fingers hook with the elastic band of her underwear. The minute he removed the fabric from her body, she lost herself to the feeling of completion.

* * *

**So I know it's not that long or great, but the somewhat intimate scene makes up for that, right? LOOL**

**And also, I know someone will laugh and make fun of me for this... I know I over used underwear in this a lot... I just can't say the p-word for ladies undergarments. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! I have a friend who teases the hell out of me for that, but I just... ugh, I couldn't bring myself to put that word in the scene. XD**

**ANYWAYS, comment/review and all that wonderful stuff you amazing people do! Next chapter will be up sometime next week. :)**


	9. Cause And Consequence

**Yo peepulars! :D**

**SOOOOOOOO, I have to say, my lovely reader rachida has done it again with her thoughts on my story in her reviews, and I would just like to thank her big time for the comment! I love that you ask a lot of questions in your reviews and that makes me pleased that my fic can inspire you to build up such curiosity and questions! So, this chapter is dedicated to you, rachida! :3**

**Also a big thanks to everyone who has commented up to this point, I love your guys' feedback SOOOO MUCH! :D**

* * *

It was near midnight as Damon continued to walk the halls of the boarding house, an eerie restlessness having him up on his feet and unable to settle down and relax. It was deep in his bones, the feeling of impending doom headed in his direction. Not that it usually bothered him, but tonight, something felt off. Not adding to the fact that he felt completely stupid for telling Elena to turn off her emotions, which back fired in his face, but now he had Caroline taking care of another problematic newborn whose boyfriend was a relentless hunter with unresolved issues. And unfortunately for Damon, that hunter was added to the ever growing list of people who would like to see him dead.

Soon Damon found himself standing in the living room by the same spot where he kept his fancy glass containers filled with bourbon handy, pouring himself a rather full glass.

"Late night drinking, are we?"

Damon turned to see his younger brother Stefan standing there in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile plastered on his face.

Damon narrowed his eyes, "Go bother someone who gives a care. I'm not in the mood, Stefan."

"Well someone's a little grouchy tonight," Stefan walked over, "Finally realizing you were making a mistake by taking Elena's emotions away?"

"It's not her that's bothering me tonight, surprisingly," Damon stated before downing his full glass of liquor, "That hunter Caroline's new buddy is seeing, Vaughn, it feels like he's always watching me."

"Ah, you're just being paranoid brother," Stefan laughed and took the empty glass from Damon to fill it up for him, "Maybe everything that's been happening is finally starting to catch up to you. You know, subliminally telling you to become a better person?"

Damon swiftly stole the glass from his brother with a glare, "Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?"

"Nope," The younger Salvatore was grinning ear to ear, "But I will let you wallow in self pity all night if that's what you want?"

With a grunt for an answer, Stefan turned on his heels and headed up to his bedroom, leaving Damon alone to his bourbon and treacherous thoughts. Maybe Stefan was right? Maybe Damon's new-found paranoia that he'd been keeping bottled inside was formed because of all the events that had just taken place? With Silas, Jeremy's death and Elena becoming like a miniature Katherine, maybe this was his way of saying he'd hit his breaking point?

Damon groaned loudly and dropped his glass as a spike shot into his upper back, sending his body crumpling to the ground in a heap. He desperately tried to reach back to pull out the stake for relief but was met with an all-to familiar sense of deja vu. Muttering to himself, Damon decided to lay still and wait for his attacker to speak. When Vaughn's scent hit Damon's nostrils like acid, the vampire muttered angrily to himself about how this just wasn't his night.

"Where's Rebekah?" Vaughn was seething, his voice raw with anger.

Damon grunted, "How should I know?"

Vaughn walked over and squatted down beside Damon, his eyes narrowed. He quickly grasped the top of the stake and held it firmly, "Answer me and I'll pull it out. If not, I'll be your worst nightmare."

"She's got her own place now," Damon spat out angrily, "If you want to know where the Original Barbie is ask Stefan!"

Just as the name was spoken, Vaughn was roughly thrown into a wall as Stefan yanked the stake out of his brothers back. Damon quickly recovered and shot up, pinning Vaughn to the wall with a nasty scowl on his face.

"You've got some nerve showing up here demanding things, Vaughn," Damon narrowed his eyes.

Vaughn grinned and soon slammed his forehead against the Salvatore's and then swiftly nailed him in the stomach, a stake coated with a heavy amount of vervain digging into his flesh as Damon once again met with the floor. Stefan rushed over to grab Vaughn but was soon put down in the same fashion, the two left staring up at the hunter with aggressive expressions. The hunter quickly shot two sets of stakes in the palms of the Salvatore brothers hands, pinning them to the floor.

"I'm not going to ask again," Vaughn glared, "Tell me where Rebekah is."

Stefan groaned in pain, "Why do you want to know where Rebekah is?"

"Simple," Vaughn walked over and stood above Stefan, "She took something extremely dear to me away, and I only want to return the favor."

Damon looked at the hunter through half-closed eyes, "What?"

"You were there," Vaughn stated with venom laced in every word, "You watched her take Autumn's life and turn her into a monster. Rebekah needs to pay for what she's done."

Stefan stared up at Vaughn with a new-found respect, seeing his own former self in the human momentarily. He had once tried to avenge the wrongs that the Original family had done to his lover Elena, knowing how it felt to have Rebekah rip a loved ones life away from your grasp. It was her fault Elena was now a vampire, and it was her fault that this hunter was here wanting revenge for Autumn, the girl Damon had mentioned Vaughn was in love with.

"If you remove the stakes," Stefan tried to speak as calmly as possible despite the immense pain he was feeling at that moment, "We can talk this over and come to an agreement."

"Or you can tell me where to find Rebekah so I can deal with her now, without either of you getting in the way," Vaughn narrowed his eyes.

Damon muttered something incoherent before looking up at Vaughn with one of his _I'm not going to kill you_ smiles, "We'll be more then happy to take you to her and leave if you let us out. Remember, I'm the one who went to you ready to make a deal to for helping us kill Silas! Just pull the stakes out, and we'll talk this over with a nice, tall glass of bourbon."

"There must be something we can all agree on, or even make a deal," Stefan said with a pleading tone, almost begging the hunter to see reason for the events.

Vaughn stared down at Stefan with a nasty glare, but thought over his offer. In truth, Vaughn had thought over having help from the Salvatore brothers in his quest to stop and finally kill Silas, but it had never been brought to full attention.

"Fine," Vaughn held a weapon at the ready before pulling out the stakes pinning the brothers to the floor, stepping back to watch them as they sat up and came back to animated life.

"Okay, now," Damon stood up and looked at Vaughn, "What's the real reason you're here? It's been over a month since your little girlfriend has been changed, so why all of a sudden are you a pissed off hunter?"

"Damon," Stefan glared, "Don't antagonize him."

Vaughn narrowed his eyes, "Your Original friend paid Autumn and her mother a visit when I wasn't there a few days ago and put Autumn through the ringer. When I got back she was pretty shaken up and had locked herself in her room. Her mother left a note on the kitchen table for me stating that Autumn was compelled to try and kill her out of amusement for Rebekah."

"Rebekah did what?" Stefan's eyes flew open with shock, even thought he knew fully well what Rebekah was capable of doing when she was bored or wanted to make someone suffer. Vaughn;s statement shouldn't have shocked him, but it did.

"Since having turned her wasn't enough for the immortal bitch, I figured I would return the favor considering she's done more then enough to ruin that family."

"And your future, I'm assuming," Damon smirked at the way Vaughn tensed, "You wanted to have a normal life with Autumn, didn't you? Get married, have kids, the whole package."

Vaughn made no verbal response but his posture and expression said it all. Stefan sighed and interrupted before Damon could press further with his mocking speech.

"Look, if we help you find Rebekah, maybe we can convince her to lift he compulsion from Autumn?"

"Not good enough," Vaughn growled.

Stefan looked at Vaughn calmly, "Vaughn, I know what you're going through. Rebekah is the reason Elena is a vampire so I know how it feels. Going after her isn't going to make things better."

Vaughn scoffed in response. Damon turned to look at his brother with amusement clear in his eyes, "Maybe not, but it would be fun to watch her get taken out by Vaughn. Again."

Another hour later with more persuading, Vaughn had managed to get some clues out of Stefan and Damon to track down the blonde Original. When he found her home, he set up a diversion to lure her out of her home in order to get the upper hand. Quietly, Vaughn went and hid in the bushes surrounding her home, laying in wait. A mere ten minutes later, Rebekah had furiously stormed out of her house cursing the Salvatore brothers for something Vaughn couldn't quite catch, and soon found herself caught up in the trap the hunter laid for her. Once she realized what had happened, Rebekah found herself furious at the fact everything had been quite obvious and that she had been set up.

When Vaughn emerged from the bushes, she narrowed her eyes at him and struggled, "Figures it would be you," She hissed, "What do you want this time?"

Vaughn smiled, "Oh, I'm just here to pay you a visit."

With that, Vaughn aimed his gun and shot the Original in the forehead, taking pleasure at the sight of her lifeless body dropping to the ground with a loud thud. He sighed contently before hauling her body deep into the woods where he set up his version of a torture chamber, lacing her limbs to the thickest tree he could find with his specialty ropes and mimicked what he had done to the brothers earlier, pinning her palms in place with a set of stakes. He bound her throat to the tree with a thin wire in hopes that she would slice her neck open as she struggled and soon readied several weapons he would use to cause her immense pain.

After finishing his preparations, Vaughn took a seat in front of the vampiress and waited for her to regain consciousness. He continued to whittle well into the hours when Rebekah finally came back to life, gasping and moaning in pain caused by the wooden bullet still embedded in her skull. When it finally registered that she was in an unfavorable situation, she struggled hard for what seemed like hours while Vaughn watched in amusement. Normally, he wouldn't take pleasure in watching even a vampire suffer, but this was the one time he could make that exception. He would watch her writhe in pain with every thought of what she'd stripped from Autumn's and his own. Their future together.

"You bastard," Rebekah snarled, "Let me go!"

Vaughn grinned, "Nah, I'd much rather sit here and watch you try and pull yourself out this mess. Besides, we need to have a little chat."

Rebekah narrowed her eyes and thrashed violently, biting back her cries of pain as the vervain-laced ropes and wire ripped and sliced into her skin with an angry hiss. After several moments carried on, she finally went limp and stared at the man in front of her with hate.

"You're here to avenge your lover, aren't you?" She couldn't help but spit out the words, hating how they tasted on her tongue.

"Ay," Vaughn stood up and walked over to her with an intimidating posture, "But I'm not just here for her, I'm here for me as well."

The blonde watched the hunter carefully as he paced several steps, back and forth in front of her with his eyes never leaving hers.

"You took everything from us," He paused, "You took the future of a young girl with a lot of hopes and dreams, just ripping them away without reason. You made her hate herself despite the act she puts on for other people's happiness," His eyes locked with hers as he stopped and faced her with narrowed eyes, "You took my future happiness away by turning the girl I love into a disgusting creature like you."

Rebekah matched his look with her own, "Aw, what a shame. It's not paradise for you two anymore."

Without warning, Vaughn plunged a long and skinny pole with a sharpened end right into Rebekah's stomach, provoking a cry of pain out of the Original. With each twist came a hiss or a cry, only momentarily pleasing the monstrous beast that had taken over the hunters normal passive nature.

"Did I mention that her mother had to leave town because of your little games?" Vaughn watched her closely, "We can't forget that, now can we? Nah, we can't forget the fact Autumn's been locked up in her room for days now since your visit in fear that she'll rip her mother apart because of you."

Rebekah continued to cry out in pain at Vaughn's assaults when a voice broke into the woods and pulled the hunters attention off her for a blissful second, giving her relief for whatever brief time she would have before Vaughn continued to torture her. Never once in her thousand years did someone ever come close to causing her this much physical pain, and now that she was experiencing it, she hated herself even more for allowing him to easily trap her. She could feel her hatred bubble all the more strongly for the hunter, her mind set on plotting a line of revenge in return for his visit.

"I see you found Bex," Damon stated with an amused tone to match the grin on his face, "Man you look terrible."

"Shut it," Rebekah snarled, "Get him to let me go, now!"

Damon ignored her request and looked at Vaughn, "I come forward with a new offer. This time, it's to let Rebekah go without killing her."

"And why would I do that?" Vaughn looked at Damon.

Damon gave him a challenging look, "Because, Rebekah can be a key player to getting the cure. You need it to kill Silas, and you have a huge group of vampires who are trailing after the one person who has it. Of course, it's all for different reasons, but we can settle with a debate once it's found and in our possession."

"You'd be willing to hand over the cure despite your petty needs to reverse Elena's transformation for _her_ life?" Vaughn motioned to Rebekah shooting Damon a glare, "I don't buy it."

"Well for one, Elena doesn't want to take the cure. Second, Katherine has the cure and she's stronger then all of us so we'll need some Original muscle for the job. And finally, Silas has proven that he's capable of taking an Original down with ease seeing as how Caroline had to babysit an injured and messed up Klaus earlier this week because of his little run in with the guy. And as I'm sure you're aware, Klaus was supposed to be the strongest immortal creature alive until Silas was woken up, so you can see how this is turning into a huge issue."

"Finally regretting that decision, eh?" Vaughn mocked once again, rephrasing what he'd said to Damon the night Autumn lost her mortal life.

Deciding to play along, Damon sighed and nodded, "Yes, we finally see what you and Barbie's psychotic brother Kol were talking about. So, I'm hoping we can work this out so no one dies except Silas."

"In exchange for Rebekah's life," Vaughn muttered, casting the bound Original a heated glare.

He took a few moments to contemplate Damon's offer, thinking over the consequences of freeing the Original and her retaliation. He figured she would either immediately attempt to kill him, or go straight for his beloved Autumn, neither of which seemed appealing to him. And then there was Silas. His entire life's mission to hunt down and kill the ancient immortal after getting his hands on the cure. For a brief moment, his mind flashed to the thought of Autumn being human once more if he gave the cure to her instead of using it for its real purpose. The thought became more appealing then he could have ever imagined, trumping his mission by far.

The hunter stood back to stare at Damon, who watched with anticipation for his answer. What he agreed or disagreed to, would be the deciding factor on more then one thing, shouldering him with a burden even bigger then life or death.

* * *

After several phone calls from Caroline, Autumn finally decided to clean up and go over to visit the hyper blonde. She had tested herself by stepping out of the house earlier to make sure she wouldn't go into a hunting over drive to go in search for her mother, and was relieved when everything was normal. She grabbed her keys and phone and soon left the house to walk to Caroline's, when someone from behind her cleared their throat.

Autumn whipped around and came face to face with the man she knew as Atticus Shane, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, it's fine..." Autumn sensed something different about the man and clutched her door knob, "Can I help you with anything?"

"As a matter of fact, you can," Shane spoke with a smile, "But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Silas."

Autumn's eyes grew wide as her mouth flew open in shock. This was the man Vaughn had spent his life preparing to kill. But why was he here in Mystic Falls, of all places? More importantly, why was he here asking her for help?

"Don't be frightened of me, Autumn. I just need to ask a favor," Silas walked towards her holding his hands up as a way to say he meant peace when he saw her body noticeably tense, "In return, I have something that might interest you."

His offer peaked Autumn's curiosity as she relaxed slightly, "What is it that you need?"

"I need your help in keeping hidden for a little while," He stated calmly, "Just until I'm able to take my real form."

"Why can't you hide somewhere else?" Autumn narrowed her eyes and eyed the extremely old vampire with suspicion.

Silas sighed, "Your house is probably the only place in town that hasn't had every vampire in Mystic Falls invited into, and that's what I need to lay low for a while."

"You do realize I live with a hunter, right?" The words spilled out of her mouth before she could stop herself, her grip on the door knob tightening all the more. She mentally cursed herself for revealing that, but was soon aware of how much Silas knew when she was met with his lack of shock.

"I'm aware," He chuckled, "He can't hurt me unless he has the cure, which I guess is halfway across the states now."

Autumn fully turned towards Silas and crossed her arms, "What exactly do you have that I would want as payment for helping you?"

"For one, I can lift that compulsion off you so your mother can return home," He plucked at those strings and knew he'd won the battle when Autumn's face lit up at the prospect, "And, I've brought back a little something from the island I'm willing to let you have if you help me."

Before Autumn could speak she watched as Silas motioned at the trees to his right, her eyes following his hand as she stared into the woods. She waited with impatience for whatever it was Silas would offer her, when two familiar people walked out from the shadows. Autumn gaped in shock as she watched the two figures approach, their faces contorted with the mixture of happiness and sadness at the reunion. She never would have imagined she'd ever see their faces again. Not since that fateful trip on the island.

"Owen! Talia! You're alive?"

* * *

**HA! So yeah, figured I'd cut it off there. It's super duper late, and I haven't slept in three days, so if this is sloppy and everywhere, please don't bash me for it. XD**

**So what's up with Silas? What do you guys think he's doing? Of course, being Silas, there's an ulterior motive for why he's there, but to what purpose does he need Autumn's help for? Guess we'll all have to wait and find out. ;D**

**And also, I want to apologize to the Vaughn/Rebekah fans who might be reading this and say sorry for having him torture the living snot out of our lovely Original friend. But, it was necessary for Vaughn to let out some of that pent up frustration. More will be revealed on their new relationship in upcoming chapters so please wait for that. Also, the end is almost near, but don't worry, I'll give you guys tons of notice before the last chapter! I still haven't decided on a good or bad ending yet, so I think I'll keep y'all guessing on that one. :)**

**ALSO! For those of you who read this fic (this will also be posted in my other story as well) I will be accepting THREE short-story requests. ONLY THREE, and it's first come, first serve. The user names and the pairing they've requested will be posted on my profile, but please, please, PLEASE do not be upset with me if your name wasn't chosen! I ALWAYS keep a list of people in waiting for requests, and would eventually get to them anyways, just right now I'm only accepting three immediately! :)**

**Comment/review like you lovely people always do (haha I rhymed XD)! I'd like AT LEAST five comments before I post the next chapter, if that's not too much to ask. ;)**


	10. The Deal

**Hello all and welcome to the tenth installment of this series that was originally supposed to only be like... five - seven chapters, but here we are! LOOL**

**I want to sincerely apologize for such a long wait, but a lot has happened in a short time so I was unable to focus. For a summarized version, mum had to go to the hospital again, but she's okay now. And unfortunately, my close friend's grandmother, who I was really close to, passed away so I've been a little too preoccupied for writing. However, things are smoothed over as best as they can be, so here's a small chappy for all of you have been ever so patient with me!**

**I mentioned this at the top of the Deadly Duel (Kol Mikaelson) fic, but I feel like I should post it here as well seeing as how it was very rude and disrespectful. This is the exact piece I had written in that little author's note, so if you've seen this then just skip over it.**

**First off I just want to say this. Two days ago I got a very nasty private message from a user (who will go unnamed) who very rudely told me I should be updating and that what has happened over the last weekend shouldn't stop me from continuing my stories, calling me immature for using my mother as an excuse to be lazy and to get out of writing. I found this to be extremely rude and disrespectful, and won't put up with shit comments like that from anyone. Family means everything to me, and what little I have left is more important than anything I do. So if that displeases you, by all means shoo fly.**

**There was something else as well, but it was harmless compared to that message I'd received from that user.**

**ANYWAYS, now that I've said all of that and bored you enough, onto the story!**

* * *

Autumn stood still and stared at the faces of her friends, the very people she thought to be dead. At first it hurt to see only two of the four she'd traveled with standing in front of her once again, but she selfishly pushed that aside and let relief wash over her to know two of them made it off the island. Her eyes locked with Silas's, who watched her curiously.

"So," His smile was a little too friendly for her liking, "Do we have an agreement?"

Autumn remained silent for a moment before letting her gaze fall on her friends, "This isn't an illusion, right?"

"No. Go and see for yourself?" Silas stepped aside and watched Autumn carefully.

Giving into his invitation, Autumn rushed down the stairs and threw herself at her friends. Owen caught her almost instantly and hugged her fiercely, grabbing onto Talia as the three shared words both of happiness and sadness. Talia grappled onto Autumn and all but yelled in her face at how relieved she was to see her okay, while Owen kept the two girls locked firmly in his tight grip.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Talia cried and hugged her dear friend yet again, "When those freaks came and grabbed us, we figured they'd already killed you before they came into the cabin for us!"

Autumn ran her fingers through Talia's hair gently knowing this notion would soothe the girl even just a little, "I was so worried about you all."

"What happened to you?" Owen frowned, "Did you run away before they showed up?"

Autumn looked up at him and shook her head, "No. Someone helped me escape. A man named Vaughn was on the island, and I'd been with him the entire time. He's the reason I'm home."

Talia and Owen watched Autumn for a moment in silence and allowed her answer to sink in. The three continued to hug each other out of comfort for another minute before Silas cleared his throat.

"I hate to break up the happy reunion, but Autumn, you and I still have business to attend to."

Autumn frowned and reluctantly pulled away from the safety and security of her friends' arms and turned to face Silas, "I'll agree to this but there's two things I want to know first."

"What would that be?" His eyebrow rose.

"Well first off, I don't trust you. And when you tell me that you want to use my house as a hideout until your true form is revealed, just seems a little too simple of a request coming from you. So what's the real reason you're here, Silas?"

"And what would your second question be, Autumn?"

"Why me? I'm sure there's a thousand other places you could use."

Silas suddenly looked amused and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, the answer to your questions ties together. It's simple, I need your help. That's all."

"That tells me a lot," Autumn narrowed her eyes, "Tell me why you need me in particular."

"Well, if you really want to know," Silas eyed Autumn for a moment before continuing, "I need a vampire and a human for a ritual my witch will be doing."

Autumn gaped at Silas for a moment, allowing him to explain further.

"Since you live with a hunter, he takes up the human portion for the spell. And then there's you, the newborn vampire who is in love with said hunter."

Talia gripped Autumn's arm tightly as she watched the two throw words back and forth, "What's he talking about, Autumn? What does he mean by you're a newborn vampire...?"

"Because I am," Autumn winced at the tone of her words, sounding a little too harsh for her liking. Talia's hand immediately retracted itself as she took a step back, looking up at Owen for an answer. The male also took a step back, his eyes becoming wide as he watched in shock.

Silas paid no attention to the two friends and continued to stare at Autumn, "Now that you know, would you like to finalize that agreement?"

"You want me to agree to something that gets Vaughn and me killed?!" Autumn yelled out, an incredulous look on her face, "No way am I letting myself be offered up as some sort of sacrificial piece in your twisted game! And like hell am I letting you get your hands on Vaughn!"

Silas sighed deeply and shook his head, "There's no need to get upset, Autumn. You don't need to die in the ritual. You and the hunter will be fine before and after it's complete."

"Then why us? Why are we so important for this ritual?"

"Simple," Silas locked eyes with her once again, "The vampire and human need to be in love, and it's an added bonus and convenient enough that the human is one of the Five. Things will go more smoothly because of that."

Autumn let out a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair a few times in attempts to calm herself down, "No deal."

Silas' brows furrowed, "May I inquire as to why?"

"I won't put him in danger," Autumn faced him knowing the danger she was putting herself in by denying his request, "I won't let you manipulate our lives for your ritual. Pick another couple."

"Well, this is a predicament," Silas sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, although Autumn knew the difference. He was doing this for theatrics, "Do you need more encouragement?"

Her eyes narrowed towards the ancient immortal before they shot in the direction of her mother. Autumn gasped and tensed to fight the urge to rush forward and rip her own flesh and blood's throat out, as her command compelled her to do so. Silas observed her for a moment before walking over to her, keeping a safe distance as to show he meant no physical harm.

"I offer your mothers life and the freedom from your compulsion in exchange for your help, on top of your friends lives," Silas repeated the offer, "Help me and I guarantee that you'll all be alive and well, unharmed and free to go about your daily lives. I know how much you love your mother, and it'd be a shame if she died by your hands when you couldn't prevent it. I can help you. Just accept my offer, and help me."

Autumn bit her lower lip and faced him to avoid staring into her mothers frightend eyes with her own hungry red ones, "Vaughn won't be killed?" She spoke urgently, using every fiber of her being and all the will power she had to keep herself firmly planted in place. Owen and Talia stood motionless behind her, still in shock of her recent confession.

"You have my word."

"Fine, I'll do it. Just lift the compulsion!" Autumn felt herself slipping.

Silas immediately complied and muttered something only she could hear, causing her body to instantly relax and slump down with relief. Azure rushed over and enveloped her daughter in a tight hug, crying and yelling that she had been so worried and scared for her. Having her mother say these things without regards to her own safety made Autumn's dead heart swell but always break. She quickly returned the embrace and whispered about how things would be okay before pulling away to turn back to friends. She gave them a soft look and watched as they both crushed her mother into a hug.

"Beautiful," Silas murmured, "The emotions of happiness and joy flooding out when one is truly able to express it."

Autumn looked at him, "How long is this going to take?"

"Several days," Silas pocketed his hands and became casual and relaxed, "I won't bother or attempt to become a nuisance in your day-to-day life if that concerns you."

With a deep sigh Autumn nodded and then turned back to her mom, "You know you have to invite him into our home now, right?"

"I know," Azure looked at her and then to Silas, "You're welcome into our home. Please, go in."

With a kind smile, Silas turned around and made himself right at home. Autumn watched him until he entered the house and disappeared through the doorway, and then turned her attention back to her mother and friends.

"I'm sorry you had to be involved in this," Autumn frowned, "Owen, Talia... I'm sorry this happened to you."

Owen took a moment to compose his thoughts, "Don't worry about it. It's just weird. I mean, everything that's happened and now this. I can't believe you're a vampire."

"We won't tell," Talia added quickly, noticing the panic that had begun to show on Autumn's face.

Autumn gave a soft sigh and offered them both a small smile, "Thanks guys..."

Azure took this moment to bring up an important topic, "Your families... How will you explain to them what happened on the island and how you got back? Right now, they think you're all dead."

Talia frowned and hugged herself, "I don't know... I mean, they'll be happy that we're back but everything that happened... We can't just tell them everything."

"You're lucky you got away," Owen looked at Autumn, "Seriously."

Autumn bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, "What happened to you guys?"

The dark expressions that consumed Owen and Talia's faces told her that she didn't want to know. Azure rubbed both of their shoulders gently before offering them a cup of tea, ushering them inside the house. Autumn followed closely and looked around. Everything was untouched and Silas' presence was no longer around. It was as if he never appeared at her doorstep asking for anything. She let her shoulders slump in relaxation again and followed the group into the kitchen, gently pushing her mother to the side to make that pot of tea for everyone. Conversation started and lighter topics soon found their way into the mixture, making it more comfortable for everyone and made it seem as if nothing had ever happened.

All attention was soon turned to the doorway as Vaughn walked in and stopped dead in his tracks, looking from face to face. Azure smiled and quickly rushed over to give the hunter a quick hug before stepping aside.

"Everything is okay now?" Vaughn asked curiously, his eyes shifting from mother to daughter.

Autumn nodded with a small smile before she suddenly became serious, "You may want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you."

Vaughn's eyes fell on Owen and Talia for a moment, "Oh?"

"It's okay, they know everything," Autumn quickly answered his unspoken question. She leaned back against the counter and watched as he took a seat beside Azure at the table, his eyes never leaving her face. Autumn took a moment to mentally rehearse what she was going to say, when Silas walked through the door.

"Ah, excellent. The hunter is back, so now I can explain what's going on."

* * *

**Hey guys, I'm SO SORRY for such a late update! I truly am! I also want to apologize for the shortness and probably messy state the chapter is in, as I wrote this super fast and under pressure before I have to leave tonight, but I'm hoping you'll all enjoy it just the same! Please note, I DID NOT edit this chapter, but I will be when I get some time this weekend.  
**

**Just a heads up that this is probably one of the last few chapters before the end of the series. Unfortunately I don't plan on making a sequel as the last chapter will not leave any room for it, but I won't be giving any hints as to what will happen. Some of you may ask questions, or some of you may catch onto what will happen. I look forward to reading what you have to say, so please leave me your comments about what you think will happen in these last few chapters! :)**

**As always, comment and review. I love you all soooooo very much and have yourselves a lovely weekend! :D**


	11. The Unexpected

**Hey guys! I figured since I'm starting my new job soon I should get a chapter posted for each of the series I have going now since it's night shift, and I'll be sleeping most of the day and then when I'm not sleeping I'll be going to the barn... SOES, I figured instead of you guys waiting 298324932478392 years for an update, I would just do one now! Haha! :D**

**I want to give a special thanks to NoseInANovel and courtcourtrawrs27 for their reviews, and everyone else who has reviewed! As always, your comments put a smile on my face and make it so much easier and better to update! :)**

**Just a warning, Vaughn and Autumn have a... slight falling out. And because I've decided to mess up the actual TVD storyline, someone special comes in to shake things up a notch. ;D**

**WAIT, HOLD UP. SPEAKING OF OUR LOVELY VAUGHN-Y-POO. HOLY MOTHER FUCKER, HE'S BACK, AND WITH A VENGEANCE! Can you say underwear TAKE OFF! *throws them* LOOL Gah, I was so excited to see him come back! Anyone who knows me, knows that I fucking ADORE Charlie Bewley and Nathaniel Buzolic, so of course I FREAKED when Kol and Vaughn appeared. feuighesugsgusgesgeuehieuhgeoH :D**

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Vaughn sat at the table with everyone at the table and stared at his lover completely gobsmacked. For once in his life he was rendered absolutely speechless. Not only was he requested to help the immortal man he was destined to seek out and kill, but he was volunteered to become a sacrificial pawn in a spell that involved not only him, but Autumn as well. Silas would repeat himself countless times insisting that he meant every word he spoke when he told the hunter that he would not be harmed, but Vaughn paid no attention to that. He was more focused on the fact he couldn't kill this man because of a deal his hand was forced on.

"So let me get this straight," Vaughn's tone was hard, "You're not asking," He paused, "You're _telling_ me that I'm to help this piece of shit. And as some added bonus to the deal, he lives with us now?"

Azure rubbed Autumn's shoulder gently as they watched the hunter stand up and pace back and forth several times, muttering to himself about what bullshit this situation was. Silas, choosing to let Vaughn's little _compliment_ slide, watched him and suddenly smiled.

"Think of it this way," His tone was calm and had a friendly buzz to it, "I'll be here, but technically I won't. I won't cause any interference in your day to day lives."

Vaughn came to stop and glared harshly towards the immortal man, "I don't care. You're still going to be here."

Azure stood up and offered a kind hand to the furious hunter, "Vaughn please, have a seat. I think you and Autumn need to have a moment alone."

His piercing blue orbs burned into Autumn's as everyone took that as the hint to vacate the kitchen, each person filing out one at a time. Vaughn looked back and waited until the sounds of footsteps turned into muffled whispers, and soon walked towards one of the chairs to sit himself down with a deep sigh. Autumn waited patiently for him to speak, watching him closely. She could feel the tension and building fear settle in the pit of her stomach, waiting in intense anticipation for whatever response he would give her. She didn't care at this point whether he yelled at her or whispered a single word, but for him to sit there in silence drove her mad. She wanted him to speak.

"Vaughn please, say something..." She trailed off into a whisper as her eyes landed on the floor.

Again, Vaughn let out a sigh, "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything," Autumn bit her bottom lip nervously, "Yell at me or tell me how mad you are at me, just don't sit there in silence. I can't handle you not speaking."

Vaughn reached up and roughly latched his hand onto his face, his fingers dragging against either cheek as he sat there for a moment to piece together what he might say.

"Autumn," He paused for a moment and then looked her directly in the eye, "Why did you do it?"

Her face fell, "I didn't have much choice, Vaughn! He was threatening my friends' lives, my moms and yours!"

"That's what he does!" His slammed his hand down loudly on the table and shot up, "He's a manipulator, Autumn. He's use anything against you to get you to comply!"

It was Autumn's turn to become infuriated, "I couldn't stand letting him kill any of you, so I'm sorry if my choice in the matter was to keep you all safe-"

"Keep us safe?" Vaughn turned to face her sharply, "Did you miss the part where you and I are to be sacrificed?"

Autumn winced at the harsh tone he used and looked away, "I-"

"Look," He sighed, "I understand why you did it, I really do. But Autumn, we can't trust him."

"Well I can't exactly go back on my deal with the strongest living being alive, now can I?" Sarcasm bit through and stung in her words.

Vaughn glared and began to pace again, muttering angrily to himself, "They should have let me kill him when I had the chance on the island."

Autumn watched him and remained silent, letting him curse under his breath. She waited patiently for him to settle down even the slightest, slowly standing up from her seat.

"I need some time to myself," Vaughn never looked in her direction, "Think things over for a while."

Autumn's stomach dropped and her chest tightened, "But you're coming back, right...?"

Vaughn turned to look at her and his features softened slightly at the sight of her petrified face, giving her a small nod. Relief washed through her at the sight, mentally thanking whichever God was watching over her. He slowly made his way over to her and leaned down, pressing his lips against her forehead in a lengthy kiss. When Vaughn drew back, he looked into her eyes for a moment before pulling back. Autumn couldn't help but fight back tears that threatened to well up and spill as she watched him exit the kitchen without a word, leaving her in silence.

As fast as her feat would allow at that moment, Autumn briskly walked out of the kitchen and headed straight for the front door. She only stopped at the worried call of her mother, turning to look at Azure, who was accompanied by a very worried Owen and Talia.

"Think about what you're doing, Autumn," Azure begged, "Don't go out there and get yourself hurt."

Autumn watched her mother for a moment before finally speaking, "I won't. I just need some air."

Without another word, Autumn whisked out the door to avoid more of her mothers words. She ran through the woods and pushed, not letting up her speed until she reached a clearing. She let herself drop to her knees as her hands shot up to grab fistfuls of her hair, heavy gasps escaping her lips as she sobbed uncontrollably. She lost herself for what seemed like hours, clutching her arms tightly around herself as some form of comfort. She remained like this until finally calming down enough gather her bearings.

"Well, well, well," A sickeningly familiar voice chimed as it came closer to her, "Aren't we a little upset."

Autumn rubbed her eyes furiously, "Fuck off, Damon. I don't need to hear whatever you feel the need to say."

Damon chuckled and kneeled down in front of her, "A little snippy tonight, aren't we? Well lucky for you, I'm not here to badger you or to pick a fight with you."

"Then why are you here?" She spat out angrily.

He ignored her question and continued with what he was saying, "I was in the neighborhood and couldn't help but overhear you deal-making with a certain two-thousand year old immortal, so I thought I would come to give you some help."

Autumn looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. She didn't even manage a reply before Damon flashed his hand up in front of her face to silence her, using his other one to dig into his jacket pocket.

"I have something here that may be of use to you. And trust me when I say, that it was a bitch to get so you better find some awesome way to thank me later," Damon grinned and pulled out what looked like a small felt case that you'd see gold jewelry come in.

Autumn eyed the felt box in his hands before giving him a questioning look, "What is that?"

"Like I said," Damon's grin widened, "It's something that may be of use to you."

With that said, he placed the box in her hands and folded her fingers around it. Autumn watched as he stood up straight, his eyes never leaving her face. She slowly glanced down at what was held in her hands before lifting the lid with hesitation, as her eyes landed on what looked like a plastic vile full of coagulated blood. With a loud click, she shut the lid to the box, not wanting to look at its contents any longer. She quickly looked up at Damon with another questioning look, as he leaned down to grip her forearm to pull her to her feet.

"The hell is this?" Autumn pulled her arm out of his grasp with a rough tug.

"_That_, my dear, will be the one thing you can use to barter out of that deal you made with Silas," Damon stated.

She glared, "I don't see why it's so important."

Damon drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, "Just trust me when I say that what you hold in your hands, is extremely important. I can't risk telling you out loud in case we're overheard. Either hide it or keep it on you at all times, and make sure your lovely hunter boy is with you. You'll need an extra set of eyes until you decide what to do with it."

Autumn looked Damon in the eyes as he spoke. Suddenly, some form of realization dawned on her as her eyes shot down to the beige felt box, "Wait... Is this- No! No, no, no! You can't give this to me!"

Damon watched her as she glared at him, shoving the cure back at him with haste, "Too late. You need it more then I do."

"I can't take this!" Autumn cried, "If Si- I mean, _he_ knows that I have this, what makes you think I can negotiate with him? He'll just threaten me again!"

"That's when you hand it over to your lover boy and let him fulfill his hunter's destiny to kill Silas," Damon couldn't help but mock his words when naming Vaughn's objective.

Autumn took a moment look down at what she held in her hands, his palms becoming sweaty at the reality of holding the most important key to the safety of everyone's life.

"Why?" Autumn looked up at Damon after a brief pause, "Why give this to me? I would have thought that anyone would do anything to get their hands on this."

"Lets just say I've decided that being selfish for once and seeing to the needs of others is more important," Damon reached out to place his hand on Autumn's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, "I know how it feels to have the only loved ones you have threatened because of something you can't control."

Autumn felt the corners of her mouth tug and let Damon's words sink in as he continued, "And besides, Vaughn wouldn't let me live if I really sat by idly and watch you get yourself into trouble."

She let a tiny giggle slip before becoming serious once again, "That's very kind and selfless of you, Damon..."

"That's me," Damon flashed his signature smirk, "Always putting others before myself."

Shortly after leaving the clearing, Autumn went on a hunt to search for Vaughn. She wanted to respect his wishes to have some time to himself, but what she possessed was too important to make any rational decisions about alone. Of course, having hold of the single dosage of the cure in her left jean pocket brought on temptation. She wished to be human again, to give Vaughn the family he always wanted. But then her thoughts would linger on the idea of Vaughn completing his mission and finally releasing himself of his supernatural duties. With the prospect of both personal choices, she found herself unable to be selfish when it came to the man she'd come to love.

It wasn't long before Autumn was able to pick up Vaughn's scent three miles out into the wooded area off the Salvatore property. She ran until the scent became faint, causing her to stop and look around.

"Maybe I ran too far?" Autumn questioned herself, turning in circles as she inhaled deeply in desperate attempt to locate him.

Suddenly, Autumn gasped loudly in pain as a spike shot at her from behind and pierced through her torso, protruding slightly underneath her ribcage. She felt completely immobilized, helpless even. It wasn't until she tried to move that she realized the stake had been coated in vervain, causing her entire body to ache and burn.

"V-Vaughn!" Autumn let a tear slip as she desperately grasped at the spike, quickly pulling her hands away as the acid-like substance burned at her flesh.

Her attention was pulled to her left at the sound of rustling branches and leaves when Vaughn appeared, weapon brandished and at the ready. His eyes widened and his mouth flew open in shock at the sight of Autumn.

"The hell," Vaughn cursed and rushed over to her, immediately releasing her from her torture, "Are you alright?"

She collapsed onto the ground and drew in heavy breaths to settle herself, "Yeah... Just give me a minute."

Vaughn kneeled down beside her and rubbed her shoulder gently, "Why did you come out here?"

"I have to talk to you," She looked at him, "It's important... And I didn't think it was something to hold off until you came back home."

His eyes searched hers for a moment before he gave a curt nod, "Go on."

She sat in silence and stared into his eyes for what seemed like hours until she finally decided it was time. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the felt case and looked down at it. Vaughn watched her with a question gaze, his own eyes falling on the beige box in her hand.

"What is that?" His eyebrow rose.

Autumn looked up at him, "The cure."

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**Muhahaha, cut off right here!**

**Welp, unfortunately, this series is almost over. I figure... three or four more chapters and then we're done! Which is sad, but that's the way the story goes! Haha. :D**

**Before the end of the series though, Autumn and Rebekah will have a little pow-wow, don't worry. I figure more then one you will be excited for that, considering she's at fault for robbing Autumn of her mortality. :)**

**As always, comment and review. I look forward to every thought my readers have! :)**


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